The Necromancer: Revisited
by Pyro Flare
Summary: A revised version of my story The Necromancer. Two mysterious Akatsuki members have created a deadly zombie plague that endangers all of Konoha. Will its residents survive before the zombies or the Akatsuki cause their downfall? Chapter 18 added. Might as well be on hiatus now with this really sparse update pattern.
1. It Begins

_**Author's Note: **__I only own a few original characters that appear throughout this story. This story is rated M because of blood, gore, language, and the like._

_Now, for an explanation: this is a revised and updated version of my story The Necromancer, released back in April 2007. It took exactly two years to finish it, but I never was quite satisfied with the finished product. True, I had finally finished writing something, but the quality of it bugged me. Two years elapsed while writing it, and my writing skills gradually improved throughout its course. The first few chapters were drastically different in comparison to the later ones. Also, I never really spent time on the chapters. Ideas would come to me, and I'd quickly whip up a chapter in a day and post it, leading to grammar and other mistakes. I've always wanted to rewrite it, but I didn't want to tarnish the antiquity of the original (wow, this sounds quite pretentious), or delete it and start anew, which would remove the reviews and cause other problems I won't like. So I shall rewrite it here._

_But now for some notes about the content of the story before I stop rambling. The original story began in April 2007. This was just after Hidan and Kakuzu had been killed, and approximately right before Sasuke would kill Orochimaru. __Some elements had not been revealed at that time__, such as the identity of Pain and Konan, the bijuu and jinchuuriki, and, most importantly, the identity of Madara. While I did a great job predicting his past, __there will be differences__, but minor modifications were made as the manga progressed, such as fixing small plot holes or name changes. __But some things, like the bijuu, are different__._

_As for this revision, there will be better writing (of course), better dealings with the characters, and new and extended scenes. __Please review this upon reading.__ Well, enough with my rambling: on with the show._

* * *

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 1:

The full moon shone brightly, illuminating the forest path below. The night was tranquil and serene, and a light breeze drifted by, rustling the trees and adding further calm to this picturesque night. Yet despite the great beauty, the animals knew that something was wrong. There were no sounds common to the ambiance of the forest- everything was silent except the infrequent rustling of the foliage as the wind caressed them. The forest creatures knew of the impending disaster.

Two figures leaped and flickered from tree to tree, their black cloaks fluttering from their forward velocity. The sound of their sandals tapping against the wood of the branches they landed on was the only other sound heard in the area. One of the figures jumped across the cleared path to the parallel row of trees, briefly exposing themselves as the moonlight flashed across the person. Any nearby traveler with a decent eyesight and knowledge of the world could identify the crimson cloud design spread across the cloak.

The two figures landed on the ground after their extensive push towards their destination. They were close enough now to simply walk, and they needed to conserve as much energy as they could, for they were on an important mission. If anyone was present, they would have easily described the scene as eerie as the figures cloaked in black began moving forward.

One figure was the taller of the two, and a large bamboo shade shrouded the face of the figure. The height, muscular physique, and broad shoulders of this figure suggested that he was a man. His cloak was slightly open, showing that he was wearing a simple midnight blue gi uniform. Strapped to his back were two sheathed katanas, both of them lying in an X shape across his back, and behind the black sash around his waist were two smaller sheathed swords. His stance while he walked suggested that he was a brash individual.

Next to him was a smaller figure with more delicate features. The exact sex of this person could not be identified due to the bagginess of his or her cloak. In addition, this person wore a thick black hood that encased the face in blackness. This person did not seem to have any weapons on them, but what might lay under their cloak remained a mystery. The posture of this person as they walked showed refinement and dignity.

"We're close, aren't we?" questioned the male Akatsuki member, his voice deep and somewhat husky.

The smaller person simply turned to the man and nodded. The man sighed in exasperation and crossed his arms.

"Look," he said, "I get it. You're new, you're shy. But cut the act. I'm tired of you being quiet. We're partners now, and if we're going to pull this off, we need to speak with each other."

The other person held a black-gloved hand up, telling his or her partner to be quiet. The hand then pointed forward towards their destination- the gates of Konohagakure. The anger the hooded member's partner held had vanished as he beheld the gates.

"So... this is it..." the man said as his gently bit his lip in uncertainty.

The hooded member began to speak, but the words died in his or her throat. Apparently this person had not spoken in quiet some time. A clearing of the throat was heard, and the hooded member spoke.

"Yes," said the person, whose voice was a soft woman's voice, "tonight, we shall share our pain."

The man looked towards the hooded woman and took a step back in shock. He soon regained himself and rose a thick hand to rub against his chin.

"Huh... I never would've guessed that the mysterious 'Necromancer' would be a woman," he said in a tone that was hard to tell whether he was impressed or unimpressed.

"Let's just move," commanded the woman as she led the way to the gates.

Atop the gates stood a single Konoha ninja. It was quite early in the morning, so most of the night watch had clocked out to sleep. There were usually never any visitors at this hour, and the two jonin and three specialized jonin stationed near the entryway below would only deter any potential attackers. Therefore, he found it quite unusual that two figures were approaching in the distance. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and, upon seeing that his eyes were not fooling him, he pulled out binoculars from a pouch in his flak jacket and gazed into them.

His eyes widened with fear as he saw the red clouds on their black cloaks. Akatsuki was approaching! This was an emergency! He reached up to the earpiece he was wearing to communicate with the ninja below using radio, but his he felt his gut sink as the vision he saw through his binoculars become pitch black. He lowered them to see that a hooded Akatsuki member had jumped up to him! He tried to cry out for help, but his voice was silenced with a gurgle as the man's throat was slit with a short blade. The woman flicked the blood off of the blade, which had emerged from the sleeves of her cloak. A mechanical click was heard, and the blade quickly disappeared up the sleeve of the cloak.

Below, the man walked towards the five ninja in a pompous way as he unsheathed a single katana from his back.

"A-Akatsuki?" one of the Konoha ninja stammered.

"Quick, go alert the village!" cried another.

"I don't think so," spoke the Akatsuki man as he grabbed his shade with his free hand and threw it towards the jonin as a distraction. The shade flew towards them, obstructing their view of the Akatsuki man. When the shade landed, he was there no more. A pained cry was heard as one of the jonin was stabbed in the gut by the man, who had dashed over to him. Another jonin quickly fumbled with the contents of his flak jacket to find some sort of weapon, but he was felled by a swift blow from the blade. Two other jonin began making hand seals, but they ceased as two blades emerged from their foreheads. Mechanical clicks were heard as the tips of the blades sank back into the heads. The men slumped down, revealing that the cloaked woman had been behind them.

"Thanks," the man said to the woman as he walked over to pick up his shade. His short and scruffy hair was a vivid blue, and his light skin had a slight bronze tint to it. He reached down to pick up his shade, but reconsidered.

The cloaked woman turned to look at the sole remaining member of the night watch. He was holding a katana, his grip tight and trembling. The Akatsuki man stood up and turned towards him with a cruel grin.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot you were here. Quiet as a mouse, you are," said the blue-haired man to the Konoha ninja, who had spiked brown hair and a distinct scar that began on the bridge of his nose and spread and widened until it covered his entire left cheek.

_What the hell is wrong with him?_ wondered Raidou Namiashi as he gazed at the Akatsuki man, who was wiping the blood off of his sword by using the clothing of the fallen jonin. The man's teeth were strange... his canines were sharper than a normal human's. His eyes... they were yellow like those of a wolf's! And not only that, these two had effortlessly taken down the rest of the watch men!

"S-Stay back!" Raidou spoke in fear, "I w-won't let you in the village!"

"You will be the first..." spoke the hooded Akatsuki member. The woman made a few hand seals in a combination that was foreign to Raidou. They weren't falling for his bluff, and Raidou cursed his foolishness for thinking that they would. The cloaked woman finished the hand seals and began slowly walking towards Raidou. She drew nearer and nearer, and with each step, Raidou felt his panic rising.

"I m-m-mean it! This is your la..." he warned, but his words died away, along with the last of his courage. He was paralyzed with fear, and he could tell that even if he fought or fled, they would kill him. The wolf-eyed man chuckled at Raidou as the woman placed a gloved hand over Raidou's face.

The latent jutsu was activated, and a pale yellow gas with a noxious odor manifested itself from the woman's palm. It rushed into Raidou's face through his nose and mouth, and he instantly fell to the ground, dropping his katana as he began to cough intensely. He began to spasm as he coughed up blood, and soon he was still.

"It shall take effect soon..." spoke the woman as she turned towards her partner, "...so we had best locate a proper building in this city to inhabit before the village wakes up due to the plague."

The man nodded, and stared at the limp figure of the man the "Necromancer" used the gaseous jutsu on. He shook his head in pity and sheathed his blade.

"Poor motherfucker..." the wolf-eyed man said to nobody in particular. He then looked up to see that his partner had already began to walk into the village.

"H-Hey, wait for me!" he called out as he ran after her.

In the distance, a wolf howled lowly. A requiem for what was going to occur.

* * *

Elsewhere, a figure underneath the covers of a bed tossed and turned. After a bit, the movement stopped, and the figure rose up. The sheets draped over the person's face fell, revealing a very tired Naruto. He scratched his messy yellow spiked hair and sleepily glanced over at the clock on his nightstand.

The blue eyes blinked a few times as they tried reading what the clock said in the low light of his room. Once they identified where the hands of the clock were located, he groaned and collapsed back on his bed.

"Why'd I have to wake up at four...?" he mumbled in a complaining tone. He closed his eyes and laid there for a while, trying to go back to sleep, but his brain had different plans for him. After about ten minutes of trying to return to sleep, he gave up.

He sighed as he slowly got up out of bed as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He wandered over to his closet and began to get dressed. After going through his normal morning routine, he decided to roam around town for a while, since there was nothing better to do. He could stop at Ichiraku Ramen when it opened, which was an upside to his early awakening.

As he headed towards the door leading into the hallway of the third floor of the apartment building, he heard slow and irregular footsteps in the distance.

_Why's someone else up at this hour?_ he thought. He then quickly concluded, _Maybe they're just going to the bathroom..._

But that did not seem to be the case, for Naruto heard the footsteps get closer. Whatever was making them was heading towards his room. Naruto took a few steps back, unsure of what to do. The footsteps became louder, and louder...

...and then they stopped. Naruto stood still, and then a loud _thud!_ was heard as something banged against his door. He jumped in fright as the sudden noise caught him off-guard.

What the hell did this person want with him? The banging continued, and Naruto got annoyed.

"Sheesh! Calm down! I can hear you just fine!" he shouted, but the blows against his door continued. Something was not right here. Nevertheless, Naruto decided to see what this person wanted.

"Hold on! Don't get your panties in a bunch!" he sighed in frustration as he walked over to the door. He opened it, revealing a woman in the doorway. Naruto instantly knew that he should not have opened the door upon seeing the condition of the woman. Her clothes were askew and had blood on some areas of it. Her red hair was draped over her face, and she suddenly snarled as she lunged at Naruto. She grabbed his shoulders and her mouth moved towards his neck. Naruto yelped and instinctively punched the woman in the face, knocking her back.

"What's the matter with you, crazy lady?" Naruto shouted as he took a few steps back. The woman groaned as she stumbled about, trying to regain her footing. Naruto noted that her right hand was missing a few fingers. What the hell was wrong with her?

The woman began to shuffle towards Naruto with an odd gait as she lightly moaned. No ordinary person would walk in such a way. Her steps were slow and irregular, and her head seemed as if it was too heavy for her neck. Overall, she moved very sluggishly... like she was shambling. Naruto took a step back in shock as the woman tilted her head to the left, parting her hair and revealing her face.

There was blood around the woman's mouth, and her eyes... they reminded Naruto of Hinata's Byakugan, but these eyes were different. They were completely white, and they were more dull, lifeless, soulless... there were no feelings behind those eyes. Naruto was now scared.

He then saw a wound on her left arm. He wasn't an expert on wounds, but he could tell that this was caused by a bite. A chunk had been ripped out of her arm, but it wasn't bleeding. There was blood around and in the wound, but none of it was flowing out... it was like the woman was dead.

Dead... _was_ she dead? His brain was waking up further, and this all seemed very familar to him. He remembered going to the comic book store before he graduated from the ninja academy. There were many magazines with all kinds of stories, but the ones that appealed to him the most (besides the dirty ones) were about undead creatures... zombies. The dude that wrote them was kind of a nut case (Naruto had met him once, and he had decided to never do so again), but the woman before him acted terrifyingly similar to the monsters the man had created in his stories.

He bit his lip in worry. He knew he wasn't dreaming... this was too real to be a dream.

"Heh heh..." Naruto falsely laughed as he began walking back, "...I get it. Prank Naruto, right? Well, you can stop now..."

The woman continued to approach, and she continued to moan lowly. He then saw a man in similar condition to the woman before him enter his room. He, too, was shambling and moaning, but his wounds were more horrendous. The skin around the man's jaw had been torn off, exposing his gums and jaw muscles. This definitely was not a joke.

Zombies were real.

Naruto's eyes began to frantically dart across the room, looking for something, _anything_, to use as a weapon to defend himself from the inhuman monsters in front of him. He spied his pouch with various ninja tools and quickly dashed towards it. He flung it open and took a few shuriken. He turned around and threw the pointed stars at the two zombies. They flinched from the force of the weapons, but they continued approaching as if nothing had hit them.

_Damn it! _Naruto mentally swore as he remembered that zombies could not feel pain. He took a kunai from the pouch, _What do I do? They can't feel pain, and I don't remember how you were supposed to kill them! And even if I did remember, who says that these zombies operate the same as the ones in the books?_

The woman paused for a bit before making a ghastly snarl as she lunged towards Naruto, arms outstretched and mouth agape. Naruto gnashed his teeth in anger. He wasn't going to die here! He brought the kunai down into the woman's head. It slid into it, and the woman slumped down, dead once more. Naruto eyed the now-bloody kunai that slid just as easily out of the zombie's head as it entered it.

_That's right... you have to destroy the brain... at least they're similar to the ones in the books in this regard,_ Naruto thought with sudden determination. He placed some chakra into the kunai and threw it at the other zombie, nailing it between the eyes. The chakra reinforced the kunai with extra cutting power, so it flew straight through the man's head like a bullet. Naruto felt satisfaction on defeating the undead assailants, but now that his mind was fully awake, it realized something. Something that made his eyes widen in fear.

"If zombies are real... Sakura and the others are in danger!" Naruto exclaimed aloud. He quickly gathered the pouches that contained his ninja gear and placed them on his black and orange outfit. He opened up a drawer in his desk and removed his forehead protector. He quickly tied it around his head and rushed out of his door.

He briefly stopped in his tracks. About five other zombies were mulling about in the apartment hallway. They all slowly turned to look at Naruto before they all began to shamble towards him.

_Damn it, I don't have time for this!_ Naruto indignantly thought as he sprinted forward, shoving a zombie out of his way. He flew down the two flights of stairs, and he rushed out of the apartment building. He saw even more zombies wandering about, but he did not stop this time. He began to body flicker quickly towards Sakura's house, his heart pumping and his mind full of determination to save the woman he loved.


	2. The Rescue

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 2:

With every step taken towards Sakura's house, Naruto's fear for her safety kept growing. On the way there, he had seen several zombies roaming the streets. Some of them were familiar faces, too... people that Naruto had seen before while going about the village. It was downright eerie to see someone you recognized, only with those soulless white eyes and perhaps any number of horrific wounds. They were so concentrated at one point that they completely choked out the street, so he had to move to the rooftops. It was safer and faster to travel above the ground, regardless.

"Help us!" Naruto heard a woman scream. He stopped and looked down from the building he was on to see a couple with their son cowering in front of an approaching crowd of undead. He grit his teeth, for he was caught between two fires. Would he risk himself to save these people, or would he ignore them to protect himself?

_Screw that!_ Naruto thought as he reached into his rear pouch and produced a few smoke bombs and a kunai with an exploding tag on it. He jumped down, tossing the smoke bombs as he fell. The smoke shrouded the area, confusing the zombies. He threw the kunai into the crowd, and it exploded, scattering the smoke due to the tag using chakra-based explosions instead of gunpowder-based ones.

"There, you're safe! Run to safety!" Naruto urged the family, which ran through the clearing created by blasting the zombies directly in front of the family aside. Some of the zombies just had burns and were getting up, but a few unlucky ones had been hit directly by the blasts, and they laid in pieces... pieces that were still moving. Naruto turned away in disgust and body flickered back up to the rooftops. Hopefully the family could find a safe place to hide.

This event was still overwhelming to Naruto. How did it happen? Who was safe? What if someone died? What if Sakura, Kakashi, and his other friends... what if they were undead now? Would they make it? _Could_ they make it? So many questions and fears whirled about in a torrential hurricane in Naruto's mind, but he had to endure and subdue the storm. He had to focus and act instead of just thinking: someone's survival (including his own) could depend on it. He had to adapt and hope someone else had the answers, because he sure wasn't going to find out.

And just as he thought that, he saw movement in the corner of his eyes. Someone else was on the rooftops! It could only be a fellow ninja, since civilians lacked the training on how to use their chakra. He stopped and turned to look at the person moving about. He saw a person in a black cloak hopping across the rooftops. Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he saw red clouds on the person's cloak. That shock quickly turned to anger as his mind pieced together things: Akatsuki was behind this!

Naruto roared and quickly pursued the Akatsuki member, letting his rage control him. Not once did he think about the consequences: he just knew that many innocent people had and were going to die because of their actions, and he wanted retribution.

"HEY, YOU!" Naruto yelled in anger. The Akatsuki person stopped, seemingly in confusion as to who would be calling out to him, and turned his head around to identify them. Naruto could tell that this man was unusual already, for he had blue hair and shining yellow eyes with irides that were unnaturally large. The man's bewildered look turned into a malicious grin as he glanced at Naruto's headband.

"Well, already we have Konoha ninja jumping around," he said as he fully turned around, "I guess we weren't as discreet as I'd've hoped."

_We... there's more than one,_ Naruto thought, _then again, Akatsuki travels in pairs. But what if there are more than two here?_

"Why the hell did you do this?" Naruto growled, trying to hold back his fists so he could possibly get some information out of this man.

"Are you sure you have time to be talking to me? Surely there's _someone_ out there you're trying to save. Why else would you be on the rooftops?" the man asked. Naruto clenched his fists so tightly that his nails were digging into his palms.

"ANSWER ME!" Naruto demanded.

The blue-haired man smirked and reached behind him, unsheathing a katana from one of the four scabbards on his back.

"Why don't you see if you can beat the information out of me?" he asked in a mocking manner as he smiled, showing his teeth. Naruto could see that the man's canines were longer and sharper, and his other teeth seemed to be slightly sharper all-around.

Naruto was successfully coaxed into fighting the man. He was prepared to demolish him. A shadow clone appeared next to him as he began forming a Rasengan. He really wanted to upgrade the Rasengan to a Rasenshuriken, but he remembered the grueling effort Tsunade had to go through to heal his arm afterward. And he definitely could not afford to be out of an arm during this crisis.

Naruto roared and darted towards the Akatsuki man, thrusting the twisting sphere of chakra at him. The man narrowly dodged and then stabbed Naruto in the back. There was a puff of smoke showing that the Akatsuki man had hit a clone. The man turned around to see that Naruto was inches away, the Rasengan still in his hand. The man widened his eyes in disbelief as the attack slammed into him and began grinding into his skin before launching him back while spinning. Naruto smiled triumphantly at this man's defeat.

"Ergh... that kinda hurt," the man said as he slowly stood up and turned to face Naruto once more. His clothing was torn on his upper torso where the Rasengan connected, but the wound it caused seemed less potent than a normal Rasengan wound. Upon closer inspection, Naruto noticed that the wound was healing itself! The wolf-eyed man seemed to notice Naruto's reaction, and he chuckled.

"Yes, I can overcome any attack with my regeneration powers," the man boasted, "so you cannot defeat me. That was an impressive jutsu you had there, kid, but it won't do any good."

"It's Naruto!" Naruto yelled as he formed another shadow clone to assist him in creating yet another Rasengan. The shadow clone vanished, and Naruto charged forward once more. This time, he decided to wipe that smirk off of this man's face. The Akatsuki man continued to grin right up until the point the Rasengan collided with his face. Once more he was sent flying backwards while spinning about. He stood up once more, clutching his bleeding face while laughing.

"You don't get it, do you?" the man asked as he removed the bloody hand covering his face. It was now not bleeding, let alone damaged at all!

"You can't injure me. Sure, you can hurt me, maybe make me bleed momentarily, but it will always heal with my powers," he continued, "And since I can tell you're the stubborn type that won't back down, I'll just get rid of you."

The man picked up the sword that had flown out of his grip earlier, and then he sprinted towards Naruto with great speed. The pommel of the sword was bashed into Naruto's face, and the man followed up by kicking Naruto in the gut, winding the blonde ninja. The blow sent Naruto flying back near the edge of the rooftop of the building they were on. Naruto gasped for breath while clutching his stomach, and the Akatsuki man chuckled as he walked over to the downed boy. Naruto struggled to regain his composure, but the pain from the Akatsuki man's blow swept through his entire body.

"Well, it looks like it's over for you," he said, "so I'll just let you know the name of the man that killed you. Kenokami Getsuken... be sure to tell the people you've killed just who did you in when you meet up with them in hell."

And with that, Kenokami nudged Naruto off of the building with a simple push from his foot. Naruto rolled in mid-air until he was facing the ground below that was quickly rushing up to meet with him. All Naruto could think of as he fell was his idiocy in attacking the Akatsuki man, and of Sakura's smiling face.

He landed, and all went black.

And then, the next thing he knew, his eyes were flickering open. His head was throbbing, but the pain in his body was gone. He sat up and felt his face. It was fine. He observed the rest of his body and saw that nothing was dislocated or broken. Looking around at the level of light in the sky showed that not a lot of time had passed, either. How did that fall not kill him, let alone incapacitate him? A booming voice from within his head answered.

_**You can thank **__**me**__** for that,**_ the Kyuubi spoke; _**I wasn't going to let myself die for something so stupid that you did.**_

_I didn't intend on it either..._ Naruto replied back with bitterness towards his actions and the attitude of the nine-tailed fox. Naruto expected the demon to reply, but he did not, so Naruto stood himself up. A realization then hit him.

Why had that Akatsuki man tried to kill him? Their goal was to collect all of the bijuu, and killing him would ruin that. Did he not recognize Naruto? He would worry about that Kenokami guy some other time. Right now, he needed to save Sakura! He looked around to see that he was in an alleyway near her house. He was close!

He exited the alley and saw her house across the street. He ran to it and, without thinking, opened the door and went inside. He felt a horrible internal sinking feeling that would eventually become all-too familiar with him.

He could easily tell that something had happened in the house. The place was a wreck. Sakura and her mom always valued tidiness in the home, but the current condition seemed like a bomb went off in the house. He glanced to his right and saw the kitchen. In the kitchen, several shelves were open and there were dining utensils and broken dishes on the floor. The dining table was askew, and the chairs were toppled over. In the room Naruto was standing in, there was blood on the walls... smears and handprints. More chairs were knocked over, and some potted plants were on the floor with their jars broken and soil in messy piles. A bookshelf had fallen down, and several books were on the ground like they had been thrown carelessly against it by a child. Some of them were pinned down by the bookshelf. He then heard a very quiet moan. He gulped in trepidation.

He peered around the corner he was next to so he could see the rest of the main room of Sakura's house. It was in a similar condition to the rest of the room, but here he could see who made the noise.

It was Masami Haruno, Sakura's mother. Her back was turned towards Naruto, and she was facing a mirror, but her head was obstructing nearly all of it. Her clothes were slightly askew and had dried blood on the shoulders of her shirt. Her long pink hair was a bit messy, too.

_S-She's just up and about early in the morning, as usual!_ Naruto tried to convince himself, not wanting to accept that she was a zombie. The less likely Sakura was one of the undead, the more relieved he felt. And right now, Naruto was slightly panicking.

He then saw an arm by Masami's feet with several bloody chunks missing from it. Upon peering further out from the corner, Naruto saw that the arm was attached to a half-eaten corpse that had a kunai in its head. He was very worried, but he did not know if Masami... _ate_ the man or not.

"Um... Mrs. Haruno?" Naruto asked fearfully as he stepped into the room to see the mirror from a different angle. He wished he had not once he gazed upon the reflection.

Her eyes were the soulless white of the undead, and her mouth was bloody. Several bite marks adorned her neck, but they were not bleeding anymore. She seemed to snap out of a trance as she growled and turned around to face Naruto. She moaned as she began to shamble towards him, reaching towards him with her blood-covered hands.

Naruto greatly feared for Sakura's safety. He ignored the zombified Masami, turned around, and ran up the nearby stairs to the second floor. He darted towards Sakura's room, but he heard a growl behind him. He suddenly found himself pinned against the floor with cold hands gripping his back.

Naruto struggled with the unknown undead attacker, and he managed to knock the zombie off of him. He rolled and moved around until he was facing the zombie, who was Sakura's stepfather. The man lunged towards Naruto's leg, and Naruto kicked out at the head of the undead man. The blow was so hard that his torn neck gave way, and his body fell to the ground while his head rolled away, the teeth still gnashing.

Naruto stood up and continued running towards Sakura's door, trying to suppress the bile he felt coming up. He reached her door and tried turning the doorknob. It was locked. He grit his teeth and pounded on the door.

"Sakura!" Naruto cried out, "_Sakura, are you okay?_"

"N-Naruto, is that you?" he heard Sakura ask from the other side of the door. Suddenly a great weight was lifted from his shoulders. Sakura was okay for now.

"Of course!"

Naruto soon heard the door click, and it slowly opened, Sakura's green eyes peering out from the cracked door. Upon verifying Naruto was actually there, the door opened fully. Naruto walked in her room, and the door was closed and locked once more.

Sakura's head hung low in sorrow, her hair shielding her face. Naruto looked at her with concern, and he heard her make a small sniffle. She then began to bawl as she walked over and hugged Naruto tightly. Naruto blushed and hugged her back. He frowned and looked down once he realized the pain Sakura had to go through. Both of her parents had become abominations that likely tried to eat her.

After what seemed to be a long while, Sakura released Naruto and wiped her teary eyes.

"Naruto... I... I..." she said quietly, failing to find words to convey her feelings.

Naruto looked down and away from Sakura; memories of the undead monstrosities flashed across his eyes.

"...I know, it's horrible," he said lowly.

"Do you have any idea how this happened?" she asked Naruto with concern.

Naruto clenched his fist as he thought of Kenokami and his mocking grin.

"...Akatsuki," growled Naruto.

Sakura gasped, "Why would they do that? That's basically declaring war on us! The other ninja nations would..." her thoughts and words trailed off and she began to cry once more.

"I don't know," Naruto said, "I encountered one on the way here. He beat me down... tried to _kill_ me. Something's up, and I'm just not sure..."

Sakura wiped her eyes once more and sat down on her bed. Her hands grabbed the sheets tightly, and then she let go. There were so many emotions the two of them were feeling-- anger, sorrow, confusion, and hopelessness being the prominent ones.

"What are those things?" Sakura asked Naruto, but she never expected Naruto to actually know the identity of the monsters that were spreading throughout Konoha.

"Zombies," Naruto said.

Sakura tilted her head, "Zombies? What are those?"

"These creatures resemble creatures in a comic book almost perfectly. So they're zombies," Naruto said.

"But... Akatsuki wouldn't take ideas from a comic book!" she replied with scrutiny towards Naruto's claims.

"Maybe they didn't. It's pointless arguing about it. We need to-" Naruto began.

"Thank you, Naruto," Sakura interrupted while blushing slightly, "for heading straight here to make sure I was safe."

"Um... were you injured by...?" Naruto began, but he felt very uncomfortable bringing up the subject of Sakura's zombified parents.

"No... I wasn't bitten..." Sakura said quietly. Naruto frowned as he realized that Sakura must have observed firsthand how one became a zombie.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura," Naruto said, failing to think of anything else that was sufficient. Sakura shook her head.

"Don't be. It's not your fault... it's none of ours," she said.

At that moment, a roar was heard and the door to Sakura's room was bust down by Masami. Naruto and Sakura both turned to face the agitated zombie in fear as the door crashed against the ground. The zombie hissed as it lunged towards the closer Sakura. Sakura was frozen in shock as her zombified mother tightly gripped her shoulder and moved in for the kill. Naruto shouted, "NO!" as he ran forward and tackled Masami away from Sakura. The undead woman thrashed about and turned her head towards the nearest part of Naruto: his right shoulder. She greedily moved her mouth forward...

...and her progress was halted as a kunai was slammed into her head. The hungry moan died in her throat as her struggle ceased. Naruto released the corpse, stood up, and backed away.

"...You saved my life, Sakura," Naruto said.

"You protected me, and I _wouldn't_ let that mockery of my mother take you away!" Sakura spoke, her voice wavering as her eyes began to well up with tears. Naruto roared in anger as he slammed his fist in the wall nearby.

"Those Akatsuki bastards are going to _pay_ for the pain they've brought to us!" Naruto swore with determination. He regained himself and turned to look at Sakura. He then spoke in a softer tone, "And I will protect you, and everyone else we meet up with. That's a promise."

Sakura smiled, "Thank you, Naruto. And we... we need to warn the others that don't know about the monsters yet. We have to act now, so we can save people!"

"Kakashi-sensei! We need to find him!" Naruto said with determination, "He should be at the Shinobi Memorial Monument right now. I'm sure he'll know what to do from there on out!"

"Yes... but... what if he..." Sakura said grimly.

"Don't think that. Let's just go," Naruto said. Sakura nodded as the two left her room. Sakura paused and turned around to look at her mother's body for one last time. She stood there, silent for a moment, and then she turned around. She closed the door and followed Naruto. She did not flinch at the sight of her undead stepfather. She had resolved to face this catastrophe with courage and determination so she could save other people. So other people would not have to suffer what she had suffered.

Naruto opened the door that led to the outside of her house. The light of a new day shone upon them. A beacon of hope that inspired them to fight so other people would continue to be able to see the sun rise.


	3. Revelation

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 3:

While many of the civilians (and most of the shinobi) of Konoha were still slumbering as the sun slowly crept up across the horizon, one Nara clan household had been up for several minutes. Shikamaru and Shikaku always woke up early to play a game of shogi to get their brains warmed up for the day, and Yoshino made them breakfast and got some of the household chores out of the way so she could have more of the day to herself. Due to the size of Konoha, this Nara clan household was oblivious to the undead menace slowly consuming the village.

Shikaku, Shikamaru's father, was currently trying to focus on his next move in shogi. The lovely scent of sizzling bacon was wafting into the room, which was distracting him.

"Damn that delicious smell..." Shikaku grimaced as he leaned in closer to the shogi board in a strange attempt to ward away the odor of the cooking meat. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at his father's antics.

"Just make a move, please," Shikamaru sighed with slight annoyance as he lazily rested his head upon a single palm.

"Now, son, you must always have patience, even in heated conflicts. Losing your head will lose you the battle," Shikaku lectured.

"In an actual battle, my forces would have annihilated yours while they piddled about trying to decide what to do..." Shikamaru sighed as he rolled his eyes once more. Shikaku comically scowled at his son, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Yoshino cut in.

"You two better not start anything in there!" she shouted from the kitchen with a subtle threatening tone hidden in her voice.

"Everything's fine, dear!" Shikaku shouted back with nervousness. Shikamaru smiled. It was always hilarious to see the jonin commander of the village be so easily whipped by the common housewife that was his mother.

"Your turn," Shikaku said, bringing Shikamaru out of his thoughts, "so you better not 'piddle around.'"

"What a drag..." Shikamaru groaned as he glanced down at the board. His king appeared to be surrounded by the enemy units, all of them a few squares away, but the king was within their movement range. He carefully scrutinized every possible move he could make (and the results of each move), and he grinned upon seeing an opening. He moved his king...

"Checkmate," Shikaku calmly said as he grabbed a mug of coffee that was next to him and took a sip.

"W-What?" Shikamaru asked in mild bewilderment (for Shikamaru rarely expressed emotions to their full extent), "How?"

Shikaku was still drinking from his mug, so he simply pointed at a figure. The kanji on the piece read "knight."

Shikamaru sighed and hung his head in defeat, "I always overlook the knights..."

"Yeah, they're tricky little pieces. Your main problem is that you keep going on the offensive. You have no patience, son. You charge in carelessly at times, allowing me to take out important pieces of yours and bring them back on my team. Please tell me this isn't how you operate missions."

Shikamaru sighed as he comically glared at his dad, "Of course not."

Shikaku chuckled, "I'm just teasing you."

"How troublesome..." Shikamaru mumbled as he yawned and stretched. He jumped when a very loud crash was heard at the door, almost causing his chair to lose its balance.

"What the hell?" swore Yoshino from the other room, "Who's causing that racket?"

The crashes continued against the door. Whoever was making the sounds seemed to be knocking heavily against the door. Shikaku sighed as he stood up.

"Good game, son. Now if you'd excuse me..." he said before he turned and walked towards the door.

"Quiet down, I'm opening the door!" Shikaku yelled at the door before opening it. He gasped and quickly took a few steps back as a bald man lunged at him with a groan. Shikamaru glanced over at the man. He seemed strangely pale... but he was obviously drunk. His father, on the other hand, was in front of the man, so he could see his features more clearly. The man's mouth was bloody and a large chunk was missing from his neck. His nose was also broken and pushed upwards; it seemed that his face was bashed repeatedly against something.

_What the hell?_ Shikaku thought as he backed away from the wounded man, who simply continued to moan and shuffle towards him.

"Cease this immediately!" Shikaku warmed as he produced a kunai from a compartment in his vest, "Stop approaching, or I _will_ use lethal force!"

The man continued approaching. Shikaku growled as he changed his mind and used a jutsu instead of attacking the man. He made a few hand seals and used the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu on the man. The man stopped moving as his body was conformed to the stance Shikaku was currently in.

Yoshino walked in with an angry look on her face. She slapped the strange man hard across the face, Shikaku being forced to imitate receiving the blow.

"You filthy drunk! Get out of our-" Yoshino began to yell, but she stopped as she noticed the wounds the man had, along with his pure white eyes.

_A Hyuga clan member? No... these eyes are solely white. Then..._ she thought, but her thoughts were soon silenced as an explosion of pain erupted in her arm. Yoshino shrieked as she saw that the man had broken out of the paralysis and had sunk his teeth into her arm. Shikaku's countenance became fearful and concerned.

"LET GO OF HER!" Shikaku shouted as he used the kunai in his hand to stab the man in the shoulder. The man continued to gnaw on Yoshino's arm, seemingly undeterred by the attack. Shikaku produced another kunai and jabbed it inside the man's head. That attack killed the man, who fell to the ground, chewed up pieces of Yoshino's arm still in his mouth. Shikamaru had witnessed the whole event, but he was too shocked to react sooner. Something about this seemed terribly familiar...

"Son!" Shikaku called. Shikamaru stood up and ran over to his father. Yoshino was wincing as she clutched the rapidly-bleeding wound on her arm, "Keep watch on your mother. I'm going to the basement to get some medicine to help her wound." Shikaku departed before Shikamaru could say anything.

"Mom, are you okay?" Shikamaru asked in fear as he eyed his mother's wound. He quickly went into the kitchen and grabbed a towel. He returned to his mother and gave her the towel, which she pressed against her wound. She then began to cough profusely.

"Mom!" Shikamaru cried out as he knelt down and supported her.

"Don't worry about me..." Yoshino weakly said as she removed her hand from her mouth. There was blood on it. "...I'm fine..."

Yoshino then lapsed into unconsciousness. Shikamaru panicked and lightly shook his mother. "Mom, wake up!" he pleaded.

"What happened?" Shikaku asked with fear as he entered the room, some vials in his hand. He set them down and rushed over to his fallen wife. Shikamaru backed away to make room for his father. There was a moment of uneasy silence as Shikaku investigated her. Then, a low sob. Shikamaru paled and felt his heart sank as he knew what words would come next.

"She's dead," his father announced quietly as he continued to cry. Shikamaru was in disbelief- partly due to how easy his mother died, and partly because she was beginning to move again. Shikamaru was very worried. The man that had attacked his mother was still able to move despite a lethal wound on his neck, and that particular wound wasn't bleeding. His eyes had been unusual, as well. Something was not right...

"Oh, honey! You're okay!" Shikaku exclaimed in joy as he smiled at Yoshino, but his joy was silenced. For a brief moment, he saw that his wife's eyes were now the same milky white color as the drunken man that attacked her. Yoshino groaned and moved towards Shikaku, and she sank her teeth into his neck. Shikaku cried out in pain before his cries died away into choking gurgles. Yoshino ripped away a large portion of Shikaku's neck and greedily chewed it, the blood and juices pouring down her throat- both internally and externally. Shikaku fell down, his face contorted in a look of shock, before he soon perished from the wound.

_No... no... NO!_ Shikamaru thought in fear as he gazed at the event before him with hopelessness. His mother had become just like the stranger that attacked her. She moaned and stood up and began to approach Shikamaru slowly. Shikamaru could barely see his mother through his vision, which was clouded with tears. He heard a few wet gurgles as he saw the blurred image of his father rise up. He finally remembered why everything seemed so familiar.

They were creatures from the comic books he read when he was younger... zombies. And somehow, they were happening. He wiped away the tears that masked his vision and clenched his fist tightly. There was no way this was a natural event. Someone _had_ to have caused it. And there were other people out there that needed his help. He couldn't mope and pout: he had to act. He looked ahead at his zombified parents to see that they were blocking the entrance to his house. He couldn't kill them... he had to find another way out!

He turned around and saw a nearby window. He began to head towards it, but he heard his mother snarl behind her before he was tackled to the ground by her. Shikamaru struggled against his mother, lashing out at her. His blows did nothing to loosen her grip, and he could feel her warm breath near his neck. He moved his right arm around to grab her neck, and he held her head back so she could not bite him. It was an uncomfortable position and his mother was struggling against him, but he needed to hold it to survive. A series of nearby pained rasps told him that it wouldn't be easy.

_Shit..._ Shikamaru thought as the shadow of his father washed over the two. Thinking quickly, he rolled away from his father, and the tumbling made her loose her grip. Shikamaru quickly bolted away from the two and rushed towards the door, which was still open somewhat. He stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts.

_Damn it... why is this happening? Why my parents? Damn it, damn it, damn it!_ he thought in despair. He took a deep breath and composed himself. _Kurenai... I need to save her. I have to uphold my promise to her and to Asuma!_

Shikamaru turned around one last time to look at his parents. His mother's mouth was agape, with fresh blood and saliva dripping from it. And his father... it made Shikamaru sick to look upon his undead parents, but his father's wound made him feel _physically_ sick. A large portion of his throat was ripped open, revealing the arteries and organs within. A section of his trachea had been removed by his mother's teeth, and some of the esophagus had been torn as well. He turned away from his parents in disgust and ran outside, shutting the door behind him.

He was briefly frozen once more. There were other zombies roaming about the streets, including a few feasting upon some hapless soul. Some were banging on the doors of homes, while others took notice of his presence and were now approaching him. He felt as if his shoes were glued to the ground. So many thoughts stormed through his mind, but one took prevalence above the rest.

_Kurenai..._ he thought. The thought of protecting her filled him with courage. He began to run forward, dodging any of the zombies in his way. He wouldn't feel the pain over losing his parents as long as he focused on upholding his promise to his departed teacher.

_Damn it... I hope the others make it..._ he thought grimly as images of Naruto, Choji, and his other friends flickered across his vision. He would just have to have hope. Hope and faith would guide him, and he prayed that they wouldn't let him down.

* * *

The sun pleasantly basked its light upon the village, finally having emerged from the horizon. A sizable portion of Konoha had become aware of the zombie outbreak by now, whether from directly witnessing the zombies or by receiving messages from friends or family elsewhere in the village. One man, however, was completely oblivious that today would be any different from another day. That man was Kakashi Hatake.

He was currently at the Shinobi Memorial Monument, as he usually was in the mornings. He was sitting in front of his stone, his hands resting on his knees, as his eyes flicked back and forth between four names: Minato Namikaze, Sakumo Hatake, Rin Nashima, and Obito Uchiha. Today was one of his "sentimental days", in which he would stay by the memorial stone for a few hours, thinking about what could have been.

His eyes stopped on his father's name. It was not often that he mourned his father's loss, but for some reason, today felt fitting. He had idolized his father as a child, but he never really got to tell him how much he loved him. Kakashi closed his eyes as he recalled the traumatic moment in his youth when Sakumo committed seppuku. Sakumo had asked for his son to be his second. Kakashi honored his father's decision, but it was so hard to make the blow to cleave through his father's neck. But he had to... he had to honor his father's wishes so that he could feel redeemed in his death. The event hardened him into the cold young boy that he was until Obito changed him...

Obito... Rin... Minato. None of them really got to fully see how Kakashi changed throughout his life. Obito, of course, had died in the Third Great Shinobi War. But shortly after their successful mission, Minato became the Fourth Hokage, and soon after that the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village. Both Rin and Minato would die in the battle, both of them valiantly sacrificing their lives to protect others, just as Obito had. He owed so much to those three... they completely changed him, and he just wished he could thank them for all they had done for him. He felt a lone tear roll down his cheek as he recalled the memories he could never relive. The memories where he would never be able to say what he always wanted to say to them. They would always be phantoms that haunted his sleep, apparitions that stalked his memories, ghosts that blessed his dreams, and, ultimately, the spirits that both weighed down on him and guided him forward in life.

And Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted as his ears picked up slow footsteps behind him. Something was off about their beat- it didn't feel like the person behind him was walking naturally. The grass also rustled way more than it should with normal steps... was this person limping? Kakashi stood up and turned around to look at the person approaching him.

Sure enough, he was limping. But what was extremely unusual was the fact that the injured leg was turned around in a way that would normally cause excruciating pain, but this man did not seem to mind. Blood was all over his mouth and flak jacket, and he moaned lowly as his soulless white eyes stared into Kakashi's. The man continued to approach with his limp shuffle, his leg dragging uselessly behind him.

_This man is not human anymore,_ was the concluding thought that Kakashi had. He took a defensive stance and eyed the man a bit more.

"Stop approaching or I will attack!" Kakashi commanded. The strange man did not heed the warning and simply kept approaching with that unnatural limp of his.

"This is your last warning..." Kakashi said, but he knew it was futile to continue to warn the man. Kakashi decided to take a risk: he would use lethal force against the man. If his theory was correct, then it would not matter if he used it or not.

He stared at the man, who was now just a few feet from him. The man's teeth were slightly yellowed and bloody, and he reached towards Kakashi. Kakashi took a few steps back. He raised his forehead protector and closed his right eye so he could see better out of the Sharingan. Normally, he would not use the Sharingan for such minute purposes, but he would make an exception to see if what he thought he noticed earlier was true.

Right away, he could see that the man's flow of chakra was nonexistent. This confirmed more than his suspicion that the man was not breathing (which he wasn't), because he could see that the man's chakra had been replaced by... _something_. He moved the forehead protector back down, suddenly concerned. Just what the hell happened to this man?

Kakashi quickly formed some hand seals and used a jutsu that caused a spire of rock to jut out of the ground. It impaled the man through his gut, causing a much smaller spray of blood than if the jutsu hit a normal person in the same spot. The man continued to moan and futilely reach towards Kakashi. Kakashi had faced opponents with immunity to pain before, but not on _this_ level. Nor were those enemies dead. But one piece of advice he had picked up during his time as an ANBU always helped him.

_When in doubt, go for the head,_ he mentally recited. He reached into a pouch in his flak jacket and produced a kunai. With a single well-aimed toss, the knife flew into the man's head, causing him to fall limp. Kakashi waited for a moment to see if the man would move again, and, when the man did not, he turned away. The spire of stone sank back into the ground, and the body of the unnatural man fell to the ground.

Just as he finished off the man, he heard more sets of footsteps. His eyes dilated as he spun around with fear and surprise. He didn't want to believe it, but it was true: three more people in similar condition to the man were approaching him- two male Konoha ninja and a civilian woman. All three of them were moaning and shambling towards Kakashi, with blood on their clothing and around their mouths. One of the men had much of his skin around his lower jaw torn off, revealing blood-caked bone. The other man had a large hole in his stomach with a few bits of intestine dangling out of the wound. The woman had a large portion of her neck ripped open, and one of her ears had been torn in half, the two pieces connected only by a small band of flesh. All three had the same eerie white eyes.

What did this mean? Why were there more people in similar condition to the man? Why were they all bloody with various wounds that a living person couldn't possibly endure? Why did they have those white eyes that lacked feeling behind them? There were many possible answers, and none of them seemed good. From what Kakashi could piece together, someone had altered these people to be walking dead _somehow,_ and they were bloodthirsty beasts. Judging by the blood around their mouths and the wounds on their bodies, it seemed that this strange disease or jutsu or whatever was afflicting them was spread through bite. They did not feel pain, and they could only be destroyed if their brains were destroyed. Konoha was likely in danger!

Kakashi swore under his breath as he made a different set of hand seals. The ground around the three zombies began to rise and wrap around them. Kakashi turned away; he did not like this jutsu, but it would dispose of them quick. The earth soon completely enveloped the three, and it began to compress until a series of sickening crunches were heard. Kakashi tried not to mentally picture the bodies of the three walking dead cracking and popping, blood flying everywhere within the earthen prison, but he failed. He tried pushing those images away as the earth sank back into the ground. The fluid and chunks that were the remains of their smashed-up bodies would feed the earth once bacteria decomposed it.

Kakashi placed his hand on his forehead, composing himself and fully recognizing what was happening. This strange plague was most likely endangering the village as he stood there! He needed to protect it! Worry filled him, but he decided not to panic until he observed the condition of the village firsthand. His thoughts were then interrupted by more footsteps nearby. Fed up, Kakashi decided to use a quick jutsu that caused sharp stalagmites to burst from the ground. He formed the hand seals, and turned around...

"Shit!" he swore as he saw Naruto and Sakura, very much alive, running towards him. He had already activated his jutsu! "MOVE! NOW!" he yelled. The ground began to crackle under their feet, and they quickly sprinted to the sides as the stalagmites burst from the ground. Kakashi felt relieved that he did not accidentally injure them, but he felt more relief on seeing that two of his students were safe. He would also most likely learn more about the village's condition, but the fact that they sought him out most likely did not mean good news was going to be given.

Kakashi walked over to his panting students. He lightly smiled under his mask. It was very fortunate that these two were safe. He just hoped that other people were okay...

"Sorry about that. Looks like I'm a _bit_ too jumpy," Kakashi said nonchalantly.

"A BIT!" Naruto yelled, "YOU ALMOST KILLED US!"

"Shh..." Kakashi said as he placed a finger up to his masked mouth, "we might attract more."

Sakura noticed the body behind Kakashi. She looked at him with concern and a bit of disgust, "How can you act like this during this crisis?"

"It helps me cope and not feel panicked," explained Kakashi, "which you promptly ruined by saying the word 'crisis.' How bad is it? And do any of you know what this is or how it happened?"

Sakura frowned and stared at the ground. Naruto sighed sadly, and looked at his teacher.

"Pretty bad. I don't know if the whole village is overrun yet, but..." Naruto said.

"Damn! What's going on? What _are_ these things?"

"Zombies..." Naruto said quietly.

"Come again?" Kakashi asked in confusion.

Naruto sighed. He felt like he was going to have to explain this to a lot of people. Why couldn't more people read comic books?

"The walking dead that desire the flesh of the living. They spread their plague through bite. They can't feel pain and can only be killed by destroying their brain," Naruto explained with a hint of exasperation.

"I could definitely tell something was wrong with the ones that approached me. I figured out most of the characteristics of these- zombies, you say? -by observing that man behind me," Kakashi said as he motioned towards the body by pointing at it from over his shoulder with his thumb.

"And Akatsuki's behind it," Naruto said, rage welling up in his voice.

"What? Akatsuki! Why?" Kakashi said in disbelief, "This directly goes against their goal if it endangers your safety, Naruto! Why would they cause something like this?"

"I still don't know. There was one guy I recklessly attacked, and he wouldn't tell me anything. He beat me down and left me for dead, but the Kyuubi healed me. That Akatsuki jackass seemed to know something, but his partner was not present..." Naruto said with shame as he mentally cursed his stupidity for acting so brashly during that situation. Kakashi seemed to tell what Naruto was thinking.

"It's okay... you found out more by confronting him. Although I would not have recommended such an attack if you didn't have a beast inside of you that will protect your life at all costs, if not only to preserve its life. Did you find anything out about his abilities, or anything indicating why he tried to kill you instead of capture you?"

"Yeah... he's a swordsman. He had lots of swords on him. He didn't use any jutsu on me, but he's fast and strong. He also had crazy healing powers. I used my Rasengan on him twice, and he shrugged of the blows like they were nothing! And no, I wondered myself why he didn't capture me," Naruto said.

"Damn. This situation is getting worse by the minute. We need to find Tsunade and go over things with her. We're the only people that have some idea as to how this whole mess started. We need to-" Kakashi said, but he noticed that Sakura had remained quiet the whole time.

"Oh... her parents... they..." Naruto said lowly.

"I understand," Kakashi said quietly. He walked over to Sakura and embraced her. She hugged back. She sobbed for a bit into his chest before she composed herself.

Kakashi sighed. No matter how he thought about it, he knew his mind would never prepare him for what he would witness once they entered the village.

"We should depart. We cannot waste any more time!" Kakashi said boldly. Naruto and Sakura were filled with determination.

"Right!" they said together. The three then began to body flicker towards the village. The Administration Building was quite a distance from the training grounds where the Ninja Memorial Monument was located, but they would hurry. The lives of many were at stake!


	4. Horrors of the Plague

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 4:

"Lady Hokage!" exclaimed an assistant as he burst into Tsunade's office in the Administration Building, "Another batch of reports!"

The assistant walked over to Tsunade's desk and placed a stack of papers on it, adding to the several other stacks already on the desk. Tsunade placed down the report she was reading and flipped through the new stack. They were all similar.

Ever since she woke up and entered her office, reports from almost all over Konoha were swarming their way onto her desk. All of them described a strange sickness that turned people into cannibals, how these cannibals would not die and did not feel pain, and other such details that Tsunade knew were horrible news. With so many reports, there was no way that this was false. Something terrible was happening to the village.

"What should we do, Tsunade?" Shizune asked fearfully as she glanced through some of the reports.

"Go find the Council members and tell them to get to safety. Also, contact the ANBU and have them head here... no, just have them go on the offensive against these cannibals," Tsunade ordered.

"But... why go on the offensive? We barely know what's happening!" Shizune protested.

"Don't question me here, Shizune. I've encountered my fair share of evil creations to know what's going on here. So do as I say!"

"Um... y-yes, ma'am!" Shizune exclaimed as she left the office. Tsunade sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Just how the hell did these creatures show up? There were many possibilities, and none of them were good. She was conflicted as to what to do next, but a shout from outside tore her thoughts away from the tough decisions that she would have to make.

"SOMEONE HELP!" a man outside shouted, "WE NEED A MEDICAL-NIN HERE! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!"

Tsunade opened the window in her office and jumped out of it, sending chakra to the soles of her feet to cushion her fall from the three-story leap (not to mention the incredible height of the four stories in the Administration Building when compared to ordinary buildings).

Tsunade walked towards a crowd of concerned people that were most likely around the injured person.

"Move aside, people!" she announced. A path was cleared for her, and she walked into the clearing to see a man crouching over a wounded girl. Tsunade temporarily flinched at the sight of large amounts of blood coming from the girl, but she swallowed her fears to help the girl.

Tsunade knelt down besides the concerned man, who had wiped away most of the blood around her wound. Tsunade glanced at the man as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The man nodded, understanding what Tsunade wanted, and he backed up.

"Thanks for taking care of her before I arrived," she added. She then turned towards the girl. The wound was between her neck and shoulder, and it was still bleeding. Tsunade's hands hovered above the wound and began to heal it. The blood flow began to slow and eventually stop, and once the blood was no longer obscuring the wound, Tsunade recoiled in shock.

_T-That's a bite wound!_ Tsunade thought in fear. This was not good. Closer examination showed that the bite was caused by human teeth. This matched the reports. While Tsunade had her assumptions, this all but confirmed it. All that was left...

No! She wouldn't simply sit around and watch this girl die! It had been nearly twenty years since that horrible event... her medical skills had improved since then! She would stop this! She closed her eyes and focused as she began to heal the girl once more. The familiar evil chakra was within the girl... she opened her eyes to see if she was making progress.

Tsunade noticed that the girl was losing the color from her skin and her breathing rate was increasing. _Damn it!_ Tsunade mentally cursed as she began to pour more of her healing chakra into the girl. It was incredibly difficult to counteract the plague that was spreading through her. Every time she fixed something, some other part of the plague became worse.

The girl began to cough up blood. Tsunade stopped healing the girl and slammed her fists in defeat against the ground as she grit her teeth tightly. She had failed. She stood up and walked away from the girl.

"She's dead," she said sternly, "please, everyone, do not stay aro-"

"NOOOO! EMI!" the man that had been next to the girl earlier cried out as he rushed by her side. Tsunade turned around, fearful for what would happen next.

"DON'T GO NEAR HER!" she warned, but it was too late. The man was shaking with shock as the girl, presumably his lover, sank her teeth into his neck. Emi remained latched on to his neck, and the man could only stare at Emi's mouth and the blood flowing down his body. He soon collapsed, and the crowd of people began to panic.

"Shit!' Tsunade swore before yelling, "DON'T GO NEAR THEM!" Her words were unheard over the crowd, and cries, screams, and moans were heard as more and more people were either bitten or transformed into the undead. Tsunade had no other choice: she had to go back inside the building. She rushed inside the Administration Building, and quickly bolted up the long stairways between floors before she reached her office on the third floor.

"Lady Tsunade, what's wrong?" Shizune asked as Tsunade entered.

Tsunade, panting and unable to speak from exhaustion, simply pointed towards the window. Shizune walked over to it, looked outside, and cupped her hands over her mouth in terror. Shizune took a few steps away from the window before looking at Tsunade with a lost look.

"W-What do we do?" she asked.

Tsunade took a deep breath and spoke, "We... did you contact...?"

"Yes..." Shizune said.

"Where are they?"

"Right here," spoke Homura from behind Tsunade. Tsunade glanced behind her to see Homura, Koharu, and a whole squad of ANBU outside her office.

"How did this happen?" Koharu asked, seemingly expecting Tsunade to know the answer, "The sensing barrier around Konoha did not pick up anything unusual at any time this day!"

"I don't know! I don't supervise the barrier! I... Shizune, is Tonton taken care of?" Tsunade asked.

"Y-Yes! I reverse summoned him to where Katsuyu is located!" Shizune said, unsure of what to make of the current chaotic situation.

"Katsuyu! Couldn't she heal everyone?" Homura asked.

"If she couldn't twenty years ago, I doubt she could today. Besides, it's too risky. Even if I split her up, if one piece gets bitten, the chakra will distribute itself to the other pieces of her," Tsunade said grimly.

"What are our orders?" spoke the commander of the ANBU squad, "Lady Shizune said we were to attack, but she suggested we hear directly from you."

"Do a full-scale onslaught against the cannibals. Show no mercy to them! They are not the person they may appear to be! They are the enemy! Rescue any civilians, but make sure they are not bitten! If they are, they will turn into a cannibal as well!" Tsunade said with bravado.

"Yes, Lady Hokage!" shouted the ANBU members.

"Hold on! How can you order such an attack without any evidence to back your claims?" Koharu asked, her mien about to become outraged.

"Unlike you two, I was there during that event twenty years ago. I believe that I know more about what is happening than the two of you, and I am positive that if Hiruzen were still alive, he would back my decisions. And you seem awfully angered towards a massacre, even though you supported a similar one not too long ago..." Tsunade said lowly, a smirk appearing on her face as she mentioned the Uchiha Massacre.

"Why, how dare you!" Homura shouted. He then turned towards the ANBU and said, "Do not listen to this woman! Find out what happened to those people outside and try to cure them from their psychotic rage!"

"The ANBU only answer to me!" Tsunade said with vehement anger as she glared at the two elders, "They entered this position knowing full well that they will have to protect this wonderful village by sacrificing themselves, if need be! I have the firsthand experience of being there at the Day of the Bloodied Sun! I _know_ these creatures! They _cannot_ be healed to the person they used to be! They have to be _destroyed!_"

Homura was about to object, but Tsunade cut him off.

"Escort them to the Emergency Room. Give them some time to cool off," Tsunade said harshly. Two ANBU burst forward and restrained Homura and Koharu, who futilely struggled to break out of the ANBU's hold. Tsunade looked towards Shizune. Shizune nodded, and went over to Tsunade's desk and pressed a button on the underside of it. The bookcase in the room slid over to the right, revealing a heavily reinforced steel door. Shizune walked over and opened it, revealing a descending tunnel with lights lining the corridors.

"Don't listen to this mad woman!" Homura shouted.

"She'll doom you all!" Koharu added.

"It sounds to me like you two need to be locked up," one of the ANBU said. The two ANBU then pushed Koharu and Homura into the tunnel, and Shizune quickly shut the door. The two ANBU pushed the bookcase back in front of the door, effectively locking the two elders inside. Tsunade sighed with relief.

"Oh, thank you for that. I'm getting fed up with their bullshit," Tsunade said as she smiled at the ANBU.

"No problem, Lady Hokage. Do the orders still stand?"

"Yes. Serve our village with honor and valor! Do not show fear or hesitation towards the cannibals!" Tsunade exclaimed, "Do not worry about me- I'll go investigate why the Barrier Team did not contact me. Go forth and protect the Leaf!"

"Yes, Lady Hokage!" exclaimed the ANBU squad as they all body flickered away. Tsunade stared at the spot the ANBU squad recently occupied.

"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked.

"Oh, sorry," Tsunade said, snapping out of her trance, "Let's go."

Shizune nodded, and the two left the office. As they headed down the hallway towards the monitor room, Tsunade mentally thanked the brave ANBU squad that would fight against the undead menace. She hoped at least a few would survive, but it was doubtful. This terrible plague had likely spread over all of Konoha, and there was little she could do except find out who was behind all of this. Hopefully the Barrier Team had the answers.

Tsunade opened a door and went inside. The monitor room was just that- several computer monitors that showed various important areas of Konoha. Tsunade walked over to the many screens and looked around for the one that showed video footage of the chamber that contained the Barrier Team. She found it, and her eyes widened with shock.

The Barrier Team had somehow been zombified!

"H-How? Their location is kept secret!" Shizune asked as she stared at the screen with horror.

"Either we have a traitor, which is unlikely... or we're against someone with knowledge on the layout of Konoha," Tsunade said grimly.

"What if the enemy is a sensor ninja?" Shizune asked.

"That could be the case, as well..." Tsunade said. She gasped when all of a sudden the video footage suddenly turned to static. Shizune walked over and typed some commands on the keyboards below the monitors to try and bring back the video feed, but it did not work.

"Video communications have been cut!" Shizune exclaimed.

"Shit!" Tsunade swore. She sighed in exasperation as she placed a hand on her head, "We... we should see if the people down on the first floor are okay. The cannibals might have broken in!"

"Right!' Shizune exclaimed as she nodded. The two then set off.

* * *

Koharu took heavy breaths while Homura pounded on the door, shouting at the people he thought were outside to open up the door. He, too, soon joined Koharu in breathing heavily from over-exerting his body.

"Forget it, Homura..." Koharu said, "...Let's just head down."

"Fine. Hopefully everything turns out okay for this village. Then we can contact the Daimyo and tell him all about Tsunade's recklessness!" Homura exclaimed as he began to walk down the tunnel, which gently sloped downward.

"Or, if we're lucky, the problem that is Tsunade will take care of itself..." Koharu said with a devilish grin as she followed Homura.

"...I'm not _that_ bitter about this..." Homura said as he glanced at Koharu with concern, "...and besides, it would be a bureaucratic nightmare to select a new Hokage, especially not knowing how many will die before this whole problem is stopped."

"Well, Tsunade has always been a thorn in our side! She constantly argues against our viewpoints!" Koharu exclaimed with frustration.

"True, but... her ideas have always helped us more than our ideas would have," Homura admitted, "Maybe we're just not trusting of her because she's not Hiruzen."

"Maybe... maybe you're right," Koharu said with a sigh, "We trusted Hiruzen since he was a long-time friend. Minato always sought a compromise, and Hiruzen was on the council to coax us and Minato towards the right choice. We don't have that peace here. There's no middle-man to ease the tensions..."

Nothing more was said until they finally reached the safety room. It was well-lit and equipped with several rooms that resembled any ordinary house. There was an additional room with many rations and other emergency supplies. There were also other corridors that led to several other locations throughout Konoha. Everything was as expected- except for another man sitting on a couch in the room.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Homura demanded.

"I helped construct these tunnels," replied the elderly man, "I believe I'm entitled to use them."

Koharu was about to speak, but Homura quieted her by saying, "Fine... just don't cause any trouble."

The two elders went over to a bookcase to pick out some books to read while they waited for someone else to come down here and tell them that everything was safe. The elderly man stared at the two with remorse and guilt.

_Damn it all... I came down here so nobody could be hurt, but now..._ he thought as he glanced at his right hand, which was missing a few fingers. He had bandaged them well enough so that they didn't bleed a lot, but he could feel something inside of him seeping throughout his body. He entered a fit of coughing, blood exiting his mouth. Koharu and Homura quickly ran towards him and asked if he was okay.

The only response they received was a low, bestial rasp.

* * *

The ANBU squad was in front of the Administration Building. The zombies slowly approached them, moaning for their blood and flesh. If there were any ANBU that were scared, they did not show it through shaking.

"Okay!" shouted the ANBU commander over the barbarous din caused by the undead, "We twenty ANBU here are the only ones left that are not on reconnaissance missions elsewhere! As usual, Root is doing whatever they please, but let us forget about them! We will fight with honor and courage! I want us split into five four-man teams! My team will remain here. The other four teams will cover the eastern, western, southern, and central parts of Konoha, since we are in the northern area! I don't care who is in what team! We have no time to argue, so just go! Make Konoha proud!"

The ANBU quickly departed, leaving the commander with three other ANBU members. Glancing at the three, he could tell their identities by the masks they wore.

"Yuugao, Yamato, Tokiro... let us show these monsters no mercy!" the ANBU commander proclaimed.

"Yes, Mashiro!" the three responded. The four quickly unsheathed their katanas and took defensive stances as the undead drew closer and closer. Yuugao suddenly darted forward with great speed, cleaving through many of the undead in the immediate area. Despite the grievous injuries, they still approached.

"What! How!" Yuugao asked in bewilderment as she took a few steps away from the cut-up corpses.

"...Take out their brains," Tokiro, the ANBU man with a bird mask, said, "If they cannot feel pain, and they're still moving, then their pain receptors have to be blocked. Let me test my theory..."

Tokiro held onto his katana and pointed it at an approaching zombie that's chest had a deep cut across it due to Yuugao's attack. He aimed the blade towards the zombie's head and made a one-handed seal. There was a crackle of electricity that surged through the golden gauntlet he wore on his right hand only, and the sword suddenly launched forward at great speeds. The sword impaled the zombie between the eyes, and it fell down dead.

"Well, it looks like my younger brother can still surprise me," Mashiro, the ANBU captain with a fox mask, said with a smile under the mask. He then directed his next sentence to his teammates, "Alright! Go for the head! Pierce their skulls or cut their heads off! Do not hesitate!"

The zombies that Yuugao wounded were now only a few feet from the ANBU. Yamato made a few hand seals that made several sharp and thin roots burst from the ground, skewering the zombies' heads. Mashiro used a jutsu that caused a wave of water to surge forward, but only to push the zombies back. Once they had enough room, they all split up to attack different parts of the horde.

Yuugao made some hand seals and then passed her hand over the sword. The sword began to glow with an aura of chakra that soon extended and became more solid in appearance. Yuugao had learned this technique from training with the samurai in the Land of Iron. It would absolutely devastate the undead creatures. She jumped down from the rooftop she retreated to and began to sprint forward and cleave through the zombies around her. Now her sword could easily cut through the undead instead of just wounding them. She also tried to aim her blade so that she could cut off the heads of the zombies, but she knew variations in height would throw her off.

After clearing the immediate area she was in, she turned around to investigate the damage she had done. Had she not have been trained to deal with these kind of sights, she would have vomited. The area was covered in blood and guts, and several body parts lay in the pool of red liquid. Some of them were still moving, dragging themselves towards Yuugao, their insides trailing behind them. Yuugao walked towards the few stragglers to finish them off. After stabbing through the heads of a few of the undead, she noticed that there was only one left. She walked over to it, and felt a sharp pain on her left leg. Yuugao looked down in fright to see that a bodiless head was biting her leg! She cried out in anger as she stabbed the head. It was over... she was doomed. But why that head? She looked around and noticed that _every_ bodiless head was still moving! She sank to her knees in defeat. She would not let herself turn into one of these monsters. She removed her mask and took her sword. She placed the tip of it against her forehead, and she closed her eyes as she prepared to thrust the blade through...

A snarl near her interrupted her thoughts. She turned around to cut down the nearby zombie, but she hesitated. It was just a mere child! The boy drug itself towards Yuugao, its lower half having being cut off by her earlier. Yuugao began to cry. A child... a child that she and Hayate would never be able to have...

The zombie child continued to approach Yuugao. He grabbed her arm and moved in to bite it, to get a taste of her delicious flesh... but he suddenly stopped inches from her skin. A moan came from the woman's lips. She was kin now. The child turned away and began to drag itself towards other prey. Yuugao, now a zombie, shuffled towards the ANBU man she could see fending off zombies using the summoning of sharpened wood.

Yamato finished off the other wave of nearby undead. He took off his mask and tossed it aside. He really did not need it on- concealing his identity was meaningless, and it was hot, to boot. Another crowd of undead approached, and he grimaced upon seeing them. He was getting sick of these creatures. He made a few more hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground. Several spires of wood burst from the ground, spearing every zombie in the head. He poured more chakra into the technique to make the spires expand and kill every zombie behind the nearest crowd. The spires sank back into the ground, and with them dropped nearly a hundred bodies. There was only one approaching zombie left.

Yamato gasped with shock as he beheld Yuugao's zombified form. How did she fall? Yamato bit his lip as he took a kunai in his hand. He knew that Yuugao would not want to be one of these creatures. He walked over to her, causing her to moan and reach towards Yamato. He yelled in rage as he hurled the kunai at her, nailing her between the eyes. Yuugao fell, dead, her long purple hair spread all across the ground, shielding her face. Yamato stared at her body for a bit, paying silent respects to her, before he decided to check in on his other teammates. He leaped up on the rooftops and looked around until he saw Tokiro surrounded by a crowd of undead that was slowly closing in. Yamato jumped down and made a few roots appear to kill a few zombies behind Tokiro.

"Thanks," he said as he removed some kunai from pouches in his outfit. He slapped the kunai on his gauntlet, and they stuck to it. He made a one-handed seal, and the kunai launched forward, propelled by magnetism.

"Where's Mashiro?" Yamato asked.

"Dead," Tokiro said bluntly.

"What!" Yamato asked in disbelief.

"At first I thought they got him when one bit his arm, but I keep forgetting about that prosthetic arm of his. He then lit 'em aflame, and the bastards kept approaching. He was torn apart..."

"I'm so sorry..." Yamato said lowly.

"Stop moping. You need to get out of here," Tokiro said.

"But-"

"No. I saw you fighting that crowd over there. We both know neither of us has enough chakra to smash all of these fuckers. You need to go to Root and ask for assistance, since you're the only one that is in contact with it. Go... I'll hold them off to the best of my ability."

Yamato looked down with despair.

"Thank you, Tokiro," Yamato said.

"Hey, if you see Juli, and she's okay... tell her I love her," Tokiro added.

"I will. Goodbye, Tokiro," Yamato said as he body flickered away. Tokiro sadly smiled at the spot where Yamato occupied moments ago, and then he turned to the undead crowd.

"ALRIGHT, YOU FUCKERS! WHO WANTS A PIECE OF ME?" Tokiro said as he made some hand seals to heavily increase the flow of electricity inside of him. Normally it would boost his speed, strength, and general reaction time, but here, it would have a different purpose. It would disrupt the nervous system of any zombie that bit into him, ultimately shutting it down. He charged forward into the crowd, cringing as the teeth bit into him, but laughing as the zombies that bit into him shortly died.

"I HOPE YOU PILES OF SHIT GET A STOMACH ACHE FROM EATING ME!" he screamed as he felt his jutsu wear off after a few zombies bit him. He laughed maniacally as the zombies tore into him with delight...

* * *

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were running down a back street that was relatively zombie-free. They had to take several winding lesser-traveled routes on their way to the Administration, which cost them time, but with the benefit of safety. Traveling on the rooftops towards the northern part of the village was difficult due to the differing height of the buildings.

This current street was completely empty. Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks, and he held up a hand, signaling Naruto and Sakura to stop as well.

"Why'd we-" Naruto began, but Kakashi hushed him. He pointed to his ear, indicating for the two to listen. The only thing that could be heard was the distant moans of the undead and the screams of their victims. There was nothing near them at all. Kakashi looked around, noticing that this entire street seemed "off." Despite the zombies sweeping through the city, there were no signs of struggle on this street. There was no blood, no dropped possessions... even peering inside the houses showed that there were no visible signs of struggle.

"It's like there were no zombies here at all..." Sakura said quietly, breaking the silence.

"Exactly... which is why I think we've found the perpetrators..." Kakashi said.

"Huh? Why's that?" Naruto asked in confusion as he looked around for people wearing Akatsuki robes.

"If they created these creatures, it would make sense that they could control them, _especially_ if they eat people without discrimination. So it would make sense to make the creatures avoid their base of operations. Plus..." Kakashi explained, then he pointed up at a building they were nearby, "...this building is rather tall. A nice place to observe the village, don't you think?"

"Well, you're good at piecing together little things," spoke a man from a nearby rooftop. The three turned to see a man in an open Akatsuki robe with several swords on his person. The blue hair and yellow eyes of the man made it unmistakable- this was the man that attacked Naruto earlier in the day.

"Why, thank you," Kakashi said with a light smile. The Akatsuki man suddenly unsheathed a sword and leaped down from the building, ready to cut down Kakashi. Naruto roared in anger as he jumped up and slammed his foot against the blue-haired man's face, knocking him off-course and down to the ground.

"Fucking piss-ant," Kenokami cursed as he turned his head to the side and spat out a small glob of blood. He wiped his mouth with his free hand and beckoned for Naruto to charge at him, all which he grinned, showing his wolf-like teeth.

Naruto clenched his fist tightly as he felt the anger boil up inside of him. He was ready to burst forward, but Kakashi placed his arm in front of Naruto.

"Don't. You said yourself that he easily defeated you. Protect Sakura for now, until the both of you go against what I say and jump in to help," Kakashi said. Naruto managed to quell his anger, but only for Sakura. He turned towards her as he prepared to walk over to her, but he gasped.

Kenokami was holding Sakura, his blade at her throat. Sakura's eyes were wide with fear, and she stared at Naruto and Kakashi, silently begging for help.

"How did you move so fast?" Kakashi asked.

"You'd be surprised how easy people get distracted when they're talking to other people during a fight," Kenokami said as he held Sakura closer to him.

"YOU LET HER GO!" Naruto screamed.

"Why? What are you going to do if I cut her pretty little neck? Drown me with your tears?" Kenokami said in a mocking manner.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, KENOKAMI!" Naruto howled in anger. It took all Naruto had to not run forward and smash that grinning face into the ground. He wanted to, but he had a gut feeling that if he tried, he wouldn't be fast enough.

"Yeah, you sound _real_ threatening from over there," Kenokami said. Sakura felt tears begin to form in her eyes as she felt hopeless, but she saw that Kakashi had moved his forehead protector up, revealing his Sharingan. Sakura glanced down to see that Kenokami was not holding her very well, and she remembered what he said earlier: _You'd be surprised how easy people get distracted when they're talking to other people during a fight._

She glanced down at Kenokami's feet, which were not covered well, since he was wearing wooden sandals. She glanced up at Kakashi, then Kenokami's shoes, then at Kakashi again. Although she did not move her head, she was sure Kakashi would notice the small movements her eyes made. Kakashi made a small nod, and Sakura stomped as hard as she could on Kenokami's feet.

"OOOWWW! GOD DAMN BITCH! I'LL-" he began as he prepared to cut Sakura's throat, but Kakashi charged forward and tackled Kenokami. The two of them rolled some distance away, allowing Sakura to scurry over to where Naruto was.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked her with concern.

"I'm... fine..." Sakura said, still in a bit of shock from how easily Kenokami could have killed her. Sakura looked over at Naruto, who was staring at the battle before them with rage. She added, "I'll cue you in when there's an opportune time for us to jump in."

Naruto smiled at her, "Thanks."

The fight before them now had both combatants standing up after Kenokami kicked Kakashi off of him. Kenokami charged towards the masked ninja with his impressive speed, but now that Kakashi had his Sharingan showing, his reaction times were on par with the Akatsuki man's. Kakashi managed to gain some distance from his offensive opponent and blue electricity began crackling about his body until it became focused in the form of a blue ball in his hand- the Raikiri.

_No hand seals?_ Kenokami thought with a slight bit of awe as he stared at the jutsu. Kakashi was suddenly in front of Kenokami, and the jutsu was thrust into his upper chest, piercing through it while temporarily paralyzing Kenokami. Kakashi quickly withdrew his hand, reached around towards Kenokami's backside, and unsheathed the other katana on his back before dashing backward. To his amazement, he saw the deep wound he just delivered swiftly heal and close shut.

"What the hell? Give my back my sword!" Kenokami yelled as he ran forward. Kakashi quickly shifted his position and locked blades with Kenokami.

"I just thought we'd fight on even grounds. Please excuse me, I'm a bit rusty with a katana," Kakashi said nonchalantly. Kenokami growled as he pushed Kakashi back with a simple push of his sword before following it up with another swing of the blade. Kakashi couldn't lower his arms fast enough, so he instead moved his sword hand so that the blade would intercept Kenokami's. He was practically thrown back once the swords impacted.

_He's strong..._ Kakashi thought, _...but he seems to be a one trick pony. He's shown no ninjutsu techniques so far... is this all he has?_

Kenokami thrust his blade at Kakashi, and Kakashi sprinted back to dodge it, but he lost his footing and fell. He rolled out of the way right before a blade slammed into the ground where his head had been moments ago. Kakashi placed his free hand on the ground and spun around, using his free hand to hold his body in place as he swung it in an arc. His foot struck the blunt end of Kenokami's katana, knocking the sword from his hand. Kakashi then waited a bit until his feet were at a position so he could spring up off of the ground, and he did so. Kenokami was reaching for his sword, so Kakashi cut the grasping hand off before grabbing the sword himself. Kenokami clutched the bleeding stump as his face was grimacing in pain.

"I don't think your regeneration powers can heal amputated limbs, can it?" Kakashi asked with confidence.

"Not exactly..." Kenokami said as he picked up his hand and placed it against the area it used to occupy. He twisted it until it was aligned correctly with his arm, and the wound quickly healed. He then reached for the two blades on his side, but he found that they were not there.

"What the-" he said as he turned around to look, but he was met with a heel to the face. Kenokami hit the ground as Naruto landed. He ran back to Sakura's side, ready to prepare a Rasengan if needed. Sakura held the two swords she stole from Kenokami while he was distracted, and she was staring with concern towards the Akatsuki man.

"Well, it looks like you're unarmed," Kakashi said, "and I'm pretty sure if you had any significant ninjutsu, you would have used it by now."

"Heh, cute. You think I'm defenseless," Kenokami said as he reached into his dark blue gi and produced a scroll. He flicked his hand, causing the scroll to unfurl. There was a brief puff of smoke, and Kenokami now held a massive sword in his hands. The sword was easily taller than a grown man, and it was about three feet wide, in addition to being thick. The sword was basically a much larger katana with a longer handle. He swung the massive blade in a wide arc. Kakashi held the two swords in an X shape, for he could not move out of the way fast enough. As soon as the huge blade impacted, Kakashi was thrown back two feet as he landed on his backside, the swords landing some distance behind him. And as soon as the sword had been swung in an arc, it was now rushing towards Kakashi's body.

Naruto had the Rasengan made ever since Kenokami summoned the giant sword. He was just waiting for the opportune time to strike, and that time was now. He charged forward and slammed the spinning ball of chakra into Kenokami's backside, launching him forward and over Kakashi, the blade falling from his hands, causing a small crater in the ground when it landed. Just how heavy was that weapon?

"Thanks, Naruto," Kakashi said as he stood up and turned around, awaiting Kenokami's next move. The Akatsuki man stood up and threw off his Akatsuki robe, which had a hole in the back where Naruto's Rasengan had impacted. Naruto had also added extra power into that Rasengan, which caused the other side of his clothing to burst open from the force of the blow. Two things were noticeable about him: one being the headband around his neck that had an engraving of a crescent moon with a deep gash across it, and the other being the complex seal on his stomach not entirely unlike that of Naruto's.

"Y-You're..." Kakashi began, but the words lost their way. Sakura and Naruto were showing similar shock at the seal's revelation.

"Yeah, I'm a jinchuuriki... like _that_ wasn't obvious," Kenokami said lowly.

"Why... why the hell would a jinchuuriki join Akatsuki?" Naruto asked, his mind still wrapping around the fact that this man had a bijuu inside of him. It certainly made sense, but suddenly Naruto was seeing a future he could have easily turned towards.

"I was sick of my life. Sick of everything. Figured if I joined I could fight the strong until I was wounded. Then they would rip the beast out of me," Kenokami said gruffly, "but my partner gave me meaning, which is why I'm here."

"You mean..." Kakashi said.

"Correct," spoke a woman. All heads turned towards the direction of her voice. A woman garbed in an Akatsuki cloak with a thick hood landed on the ground. She stood up and walked forward a bit before stopping, "We are no longer affiliated with Akatsuki."

_This isn't good..._ Kakashi thought as he looked towards Kenokami's partner, _...I could have fended off Kenokami, but if this is the person that created this plague-like jutsu..._

"If that is the case, why do you wear their rings?" Sakura spoke up. Kakashi and Naruto looked and noticed that the cloaked person was wearing Hidan's orange ring on her left index finger, and Kenokami was wearing Kakuzu's dark green ring on his left middle finger.

"Oh this?" Kenokami said with a grin as he flipped off Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi with his left hand, "Akatsuki has a man that knows his way around things. You can't possibly hide things important to Akatsuki from him. That's why we wear these rings. If he wants them back, he'll have to pry them off our cold, dead hands."

"YOU!" Naruto yelled as he pointed at the cloaked woman, ignoring most of the conversation since the cloaked woman arrived, "You... you started this, didn't you?"

"Of course. Do you like-" she began, but immediately after she said "of course", Naruto charged forward, yelling, as red chakra began to pour out of him and his features became more animalistic. A Rasengan formed in his hand as he thrust it at the woman, but she stepped back and disappeared. Naruto stopped his charge and looked around for the woman, still holding the Rasengan in his hand. He suddenly cried out as the cloaked woman suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed Naruto's neck. Naruto turned around to nail her with the Rasengan, but several spikes suddenly burst out of the woman's body, piercing Naruto in several areas. The woman then exploded, knocking Naruto backwards, in addition to knocking him out. Sakura rushed over to Naruto and began to heal him.

Kenokami was about to attack Sakura, but the woman suddenly appeared in front of Kenokami, her arm extended in front of him.

"No... Sakura's not a threat. I added a quick-acting sleeping gas in that exploding clone. Naruto will be out for a while," spoke the cloaked woman.

"Tell me..." Kakashi said lowly as he stared at the two ex-Akatsuki members, "...why are you doing this? Why Konoha?"

"I don't have to explain my motives to you, Kakashi Hatake," spoke the cloaked woman.

"Read up on Konoha's ninja, I see?" Kakashi asked, noticing that the cloaked woman had successfully identified all three of her opponents.

"I wanted to be prepared," the cloaked woman said as she lowered her arm, "and you can attack them, Kenokami. I've changed my mind."

Kenokami grinned. "With pleasure," he said as he ran towards Sakura and Naruto, picking up his massive sword on the way. Kakashi turned around to instinctively assist them, but he saw a blade in the corner of his eye and quickly pulled out a kunai and blocked it. The woman leaped back, a short blade emerging from the sleeve of her cloak. It was dripping with a liquid, most likely a poison of sorts. Kakashi had to focus on this woman: he just hoped that Naruto and Sakura would be okay. His thoughts were cut off as the cloaked woman thrust her blade at him...

Kenokami swung his blade down at Sakura. Sakura stopped healing Naruto, quickly turned around, and sent chakra to her hands. She caught the blade, the momentum of it pushing her down some, but she was unharmed. She threw the blade back and charged towards Kenokami while his guard was down. She swung her fist in an uppercut directed at his chin...

Kakashi and the cloaked woman were locked in a tango of battle, both blade and kunai clashing against each other. _Her reaction times are on par with mine... how can that be?_ Kakashi thought as he leaped back a bit and threw the kunai at her as a distraction. He made a few hand seals. He placed his hands on the ground, causing three rushing rows of spires of rock that burst from the ground to rush at the cloaked woman. As the attack headed her way, he also formed another Raikiri and watched closely for the woman to appear...

Kenokami flew back from the blow Sakura gave him. "I won't let you hurt Naruto!" she cried as she charged forward and began pummeling Kenokami. Normally, the blows would cause internal bleeding or break bones, but Kenokami's regeneration powers were incredible. She rose both of her hands for a haymaker, but this left her open. Kenokami laughed and said, "Gotcha!" as he kicked Sakura in the gut and bashed her face with the pommel of his massive blade. He then swung the gigantic sword in a large arc. Naruto cried out in rage as he suddenly burst forward and tackled Kenokami to the ground before wailing on his face with his fists.

A few smoke bombs landed near Kakashi's feet, and they burst open, shrouding the area in a thick smoke. Kakashi saw a slight movement behind him, and he turned around to attack the cloaked woman with his Raikiri. He hit the woman and grinned under his mask, but the clone suddenly exploded, clearing the smoke. The cloaked woman, who was actually on a nearby rooftop, smirked as she observed the charred body of her adversary. She gasped as she saw the body crackle and fade away as lightning. She frantically looked around to locate Kakashi's current position, and she saw him. His Sharingan had changed shape... he had a Mangekyo? Kakashi fired a Kamui from his eye, fully intent on destroying the cloaked woman. The space around her began to contort and ripple, but before it collapsed on itself, the woman vanished, and not in the intended way. Kakashi looked around for her, shocked that she managed to dodge the attack, and he saw her over to where Naruto and Sakura were. She kicked Naruto off of Kenokami and helped him up.

"We're leaving," she said.

"WHAT!" Kenokami asked in an outrage as he glared at Naruto and his partner.

"I've wasted too much chakra. We need to be prepared for Akatsuki's retaliation," she said.

"Grr... fine!" Kenokami growled before he turned to look at Naruto, "Just you wait, you lucky fuck! Next time we meet... you'll be dead."

"The feeling's mutual," Naruto said as he glowered at Kenokami. The two Akatsuki members then body flickered away. Kakashi ran up to Naruto and Sakura.

"Are you two okay?" he asked with concern as he lowered his forehead protector to cover his Sharingan, which had reverted to normal.

Sakura finished healing her face, the glow around her hand disappearing, "Now we are."

"Good..." Kakashi sighed with relief.

"Why did we let them go?" Naruto said.

"Because our intention was not to fight them. We were going to the Administration Building, remember?" Kakashi said, "Plus... that woman was holding back. And there is something dangerous about her..."

"Well, that's besides the point," Sakura said, "They're gone, they have no intention of attacking us again any time soon, so let's go find Tsunade!"

"Right," Kakashi said with a nod. Kakashi and Sakura began to sprint towards the building, and Naruto begrudgingly followed them.

* * *

"Well, I assume everyone wishes to know why they have been called here," Zetsu spoke to the rest of Akatsuki, excluding Pain and Konan, who were elsewhere.

"This has to do with the disappearance of Kenokami and 'The Necromancer,' doesn't it?" Itachi asked upon observing the makeup of the people at the meeting.

"_Of course. Normally, we'd just astral project ourselves, but hey, everyone was in the general area..._" spoke Zetsu's other half.

"Just cut to the point, yeah," Deidara said with a very bored look on his face.

"Just how is it not obvious what happened yet?" Kisame asked with scorn as he stared at Deidara with disbelief.

"Tobi doesn't like fighting..." Tobi whimpered quietly.

"Is this really how the infamous Akatsuki acts?" pondered the newest member of Akatsuki, a man with long black hair that framed the sides of his face. He wore his forehead protector over his eyes like a blindfold, an eighth note with a gash through it depicted on the metal plate.

"Unfortunately, yes..." Itachi sighed.

"Oh, you should've seen it when Kakuzu and Hidan were around," Kisame said with a nostalgic grin, "Hell, Kakuzu and _any_ of his past partners gave us a handful."

"_Yes, memories are nice and all, but we kind of have two traitors on the loose,_" Zetsu said with an annoyed sigh.

"So we're going to head after them, hmm?" Deidara asked.

"Well, it would make sense because a jinchuuriki was with them," Zetsu said with further annoyance.

"But we don't even know if they betrayed us," Tobi inputted.

"An intelligent comment from Tobi, hmm. Quite unusual," quipped Deidara with a smirk.

"They have not contacted us when we have repeatedly requested it. You cannot ignore the chakra signals the rings give you. They have betrayed us... but where did they go?" Itachi pondered.

"They went to Konoha," the blind man added. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable as the sensation of every pair of eyes in the room settled on him, "What? I overheard them talking about going there! How was I supposed to know they would betray us?"

"You fucking idiot, yeah..." Deidara growled.

"He does have a valid point," Kisame said, "I mean; Otoshi _has_ only been here for three days."

"I'll take care of them," the blind man named Otoshi said.

"But you are new. We have not had enough time to evaluate your skills. I think it would be best to send out someone the whole organization trusts, like me," Itachi said.

"But... I took Orochimaru's ring! See?" Otoshi said as he extended his left little finger to show off the blue ring. Unfortunately, the ruder members of Akatsuki (which was all of them except Itachi and Tobi (who didn't get it)) took it as Otoshi was speaking as if Orochimaru was his girlfriend, so much snickering was had.

"A valid point, but... _tee hee, Orochimaru as a gir_... we do not know the state of the Sound Village, nor the security around his old ring. Orochimaru is dead, and it is likely that there was turmoil in the village. You could have just snuck in and stole the ring," Zetsu said.

"Yes, completely ignore the fact that I slaughtered _everyone in my way_," Otoshi said with exasperation.

"Look, kid, it's not that we doubt you, it's just that we need to put someone with experience on this mission," Kisame said. "and since The Leader and Konan are absent, and Zetsu only takes orders from them, _and_ the fact that several senior members are dead or missing... it all trickles down to Itachi, who is well-equipped for such a job."

Otoshi sighed. He had wanted to prove himself to this organization, but it was obvious that was not going to happen. He had to cheat to get the results he wanted. Hell, he didn't even know _why_ he wanted to hunt down the two traitors, but it just seemed like a fun thing to do. He reached up and untied his headband around his eyes. He grabbed the headband and set it on the table they were sitting around. The familiar feeling that he had everyone in the room under his power washed over him. He smirked... these eyes cursed him, but they were also very useful.

"And now that you are under my genjutsu and my sovereignty..." Otoshi began, "...you _will_ let me hunt down these traitors. And you will see me as fully capable for the job, so I don't need any further assistance..."

Otoshi pondered a thought he had. True, he had just joined this organization, but he had done so on a whim. He never really followed a set path in life, but instead did whatever he felt like doing.

"And you will remain here, completely enthralled and trapped," he added with a pleased grin. He picked up his headband and tied it back around his eyes. He knew that _someone_ would break free of his genjutsu. After all, this was an organization of _freaks._ But that was his intention. He would have the head start, and then Akatsuki would be after him just as much as those other two. And now that he was free from the Sound, he could do as he pleased.

"Well, don't disappoint me," he said as he waved at the frozen Akatsuki, leaving the current base.

* * *

"I still don't see why both of us had to leave," Kenokami said. The two rogue Akatsuki were in the tall building that Kakashi successfully pinned down as their outpost.

"Like I said, we needed to conserve our chakra," the cloaked woman said.

"Bullshit! I have a bijuu inside of me! I don't need to conserve _anything!_" Kenokami exclaimed indignantly. The woman sighed as she wrung her gloved hands nervously.

"It's because I am scared, Kenokami..." she said softly.

"We don't need to worry about Akatsuki. We can take them," Kenokami said with a confident smile.

"Not just Akatsuki... the people in this village."

"You said yourself that this village was the best choice," Kenokami said with slight suspicion.

"It's just... I don't want to die..." she said even softer. Kenokami looked at her with confusion, but also with a concerned look. She continued, "...just seeing the zombies brings back old memories..."

"Memories?" Kenokami asked, "What memories?"

The cloaked woman said nothing for a bit, and her slight movements told Kenokami that she was thinking of what to say, and she was hesitating each time. Finally, the woman reached up to her hood and pulled it back, revealing the face underneath the cloak. She was the most beautiful woman that Kenokami had ever laid eyes on. Her skin was a delicate pale shade, her hair long, lustrous, and black, and her eyes a shining green the color of malachite. She looked towards Kenokami with a sorrowed look and lowered the neckline of her robe slightly, revealing the headband around her neck.

"Do you recognize this symbol?" she asked. Kenokami looked at the headband. Engraved on the metal plate was the symbol of a sun with a gash, characteristic of Akatsuki, across the symbol.

"Can't say I do..." Kenokami said.

"Of course you don't," she said as she turned away, "only Akatsuki's Leader and that plant man knew of the village I once belonged to. I will tell you my tale so you can know the pain I have felt and why I am scared. And why exactly I am doing this."

Kenokami took a seat down on a nearby chair in the room as he watched "The Necromancer." He frowned upon realizing that he didn't even know her name yet.

"Um... well, you trust me enough to show your face, but I still don't know your name," he said.

"Oh, right..." she said somewhat absent-mindedly. She was most likely focused on how to summarize her past to her partner, "...it's Reiko."

"I see... well, Reiko, tell me when you're ready," Kenokami said with a warm smile.

"I grew up in the Land of Light; a small island nation between the current Land of Water and Land of Lightning. It was a beautiful country known for its great port city that was also a ninja village: The Hidden Village in the Sun," Reiko began.

She paused for a bit, and then continued, "I only have vague images of my parents, but I never knew them. I was three when my older brother and I moved to the island. He said that our parents had died. There was nobody left in our immediate family, so he raised me. He was an amazing ninja... one of the best I had ever seen. He was just sixteen years old, and he had created several powerful jutsu! There was no doubt in my mind that he would become a Kage one day. He trained me, and in just two years I was on par with many jonin in the village."

"Really? If that was the case, then with regular training, you'd be unstoppable today," Kenokami said.

"Please... let me finish..." Reiko said sadly. Kenokami apologized, and she continued, "...My brother was friends with the Hikarikage... the Sun was a great ninja country before the Mist... and thus we had a lovely and large house. At nights my brother would always go to the basement, and he told me never to follow him down there. I was obedient, but I heard many unsettling noises. Every time I questioned him, he either shrugged off or denied my claims. But I was a little girl, so I didn't suspect him of anything."

"Then, one day, the Hikarikage died. A criminal had assassinated him. My brother accepted the rights and responsibilities of being the next Hikarikage, even though the Sun had stepped down as a great ninja nation many years ago. This also meant governing the entire country, because the Land of Light did not have a daimyo. And then my brother invited me to see what he was doing in the basement..."

A few tears began rolling down her eyes.

"Reiko?" Kenokami asked, suddenly concerned.

She ignored Kenokami, and continued, "It was awful. We entered the dark basement, and he flipped on the lights. There were... test tubes, vials, bloodied cages, and people restrained against walls. These people were different. Their eyes were white, they acted like savage beasts, and they had many grievous wounds. And that was only the small section of the basement that I saw."

"I remember the sick and twisted look on his face as he turned to me. I remember him saying, 'Aren't they beautiful, sister? I think you are powerful enough to use this jutsu. Here, let me teach it to you.'"

Kenokami was speechless. He continued to listen.

"I, of course, rejected him. I yelled at him for turning innocent people into monsters. He simply stood there, baffled, and said, 'Is there something wrong with that?' I felt rage and hatred inside of me, and sorrow and betrayal. My brother continued, 'Think of the possibilities of this jutsu. You and I, sister, we can rule the world with this jutsu. Starting with this pathetic village.'"

"I then attacked him. I had no hope of defeating him, but my anger guided my actions. We had trained before, but now he was fighting to kill. And when I saw him use a combination of hand seals that I had never seen before... a yellow gas snaked out of his hands. I knew something was terribly wrong with that gas, so I fled. I ran as fast and as long as I could. Looking behind me, I saw that the gas was spreading across the entire city. I soon collapsed from exhaustion and passed out."

"When I awoke, my brother was before me. He cursed my foolishness for not joining him, and then he left me. I heard thousands upon thousands of moans. To my horror, I discovered that the... the entire... city..."

Reiko began to cry as she cupped her hands and covered her face. Kenokami sprung up and hugged her, and she hugged back. She continued crying onto Kenokami's chest. Kenokami was baffled at the trauma she had experienced. Just five, and she had to live on an island of zombies, zombified versions of people she knew, with no way of escape. Reiko stopped crying and lightly pushed Kenokami away before turning around.

"I had to..." she said, her voice quiet and hoarse from crying, "...survive on my own for a few days. It was a living nightmare. Then my salvation came when several ninja landed on the island and tried to wipe out the zombies. They failed, of course, but I was rescued. For a while, I lived with a foster family in the Mist Village. In that village, as I grew up, and after recovering from my trauma... I learned many unsettling things about myself, my brother, and the terrible event. My brother... was never really my brother. He had kidnapped me from my actual family when I was three and built up a pillar of lies, giving me a smiling façade to look up to. He had done many terrible experiments in the basement, but they, too, were a set up. He only appeared young because he had taken the souls of innocent people to make him appear younger. He only did the experiments to tempt me in to his side, or maybe to perfect what he already knew. He wanted a servant..."

"How horrible..." Kenokami said, mentally noting on how much of an understatement that was. He had trouble wrapping his mind on how Reiko managed to cope, but some questions were nagging at him, "...how were you able to use his zombie technique?"

"My 'brother' was actually my grandfather," Reiko said, seemingly ignoring Kenokami, "my grandfather who's vile ways made him infamous throughout the world. My grandfather... Madara Uchiha."

"Huh!" Kenokami exclaimed in surprise as he looked at Reiko. Her lovely green eyes stared at Kenokami momentarily before she blinked. When she opened her eyes, the green irides had been replaced by the color and design of the Sharingan.

"That is right. I was kidnapped from the Uchiha clan, from my parents, as a small girl and raised by that monster so I would serve his deluded attempts to play god. Once I learned this, I sought out information. The only place I could turn to was Akatsuki. After all, Madara had helped found the organization. I was expecting answers upon joining, but I did not get any, so I left."

"But... why use his technique?" Kenokami asked.

"For vengeance. My childhood and my future were destroyed by Madara, while the people of the world live out their lives in blissful ignorance of the suffering of the few. Friends, family, happiness... the people of Konoha and the other towns all possess these. _I_ have had those things robbed from me! So I will spread my pain and suffering by robbing the people of those experiences. You want vengeance, too, correct? You've gone through pain and suffering, haven't you?"

Kenokami stared down at his outfit. The hole that Naruto caused was still there, and the seal that contained the bijuu was visible.

"Yes..." Kenokami said as if he were reciting something. He suddenly became more confident, "I want vengeance!"

"Good," Reiko said with a small smile. It was odd how her temperment gradually changed from sorrowful pain to brisk confidence, "and additionally, I will lure Madara here by using his technique. I will then make him suffer for the twenty years of hell that he put me through, and then kill him. Then, once he is gone, we remove Akatsuki, and then we spread our pain and suffering across the world!"

Kenokami stared at Reiko with slight concern. She was completely serious with her plan. It was... unsettling to see the quiet and reserved woman that he had been partnered with to suddenly act vibrant and spiteful. Still, he agreed with her plan.

"I will help you..." Kenokami said.

"Great! Now we wait. If someone is a threat, we will take them out, one way or another. Understood?" Reiko said sternly.

"Yes, but... something's off," Kenokami said. He walked over to a window and opened it. He took a deep breath of the air before turning away and coughing. He shut the window and turned towards Reiko.

"Yes... I can smell him. It's very faint, but I smell someone from Akatsuki amongst the blood and rot. Can you sense it?"

Reiko closed her eyes. She then opened them, her Sharingan deactivated, "It's just Otoshi, and he is alone. Akatsuki is foolish for sending that blind idiot after us. We'll just dispose of him once he arrives."

* * *

Otoshi was some distance away from the Akatsuki hideout. He walked at a leisurely pace towards Konoha. He suddenly stopped, a feeling of disappointment mixed with annoyance washing over him.

"Why do I get the feeling that someone just underestimated me because I'm blind?" he asked himself. He soon shrugged off the feeling and continued to walk.

"This... this is far too slow," he said. He made a few hand seals, and he suddenly sank into his own shadow. Several yards ahead, he emerged from the shadow of a tree. He sank into that shadow, and emerged from another shadow farther ahead. He wished that this jutsu didn't have a limit on the distance traveled between shadows, but it sure beat the hell out of walking. Especially since he would cut down his travel time to Konoha significantly...


	5. First Blood

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 5:

Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi could see the Administration Building looming over the horizon. They picked up their pace, and quickly decelerated to a stop upon seeing what lay between them and the building.

A very large crowd of the undead was mulling about in the spacious area in front of the Administration Building. The closest ones detected the three ninja that arrived, and they all slowly turned to look at the three. Hundreds of dead white eyes belonging to men, women, and children stared at the three ninja.

And then the moans started. At first, it was a low reverberating noise, but the moaning gained the attention of the zombies further away. It was a chain reaction that escalated into a loud and angry choir of hunger and pain. The entire mob was now approaching them.

"Well, this isn't good," Kakashi said quietly. His attempted humor failed to calm himself down, and it certainly didn't help his two students.

"W-What the hell do we do?" Sakura asked, her voice filled with fear.

"Well..." Kakashi said with elements of hesitation in his voice as he pulled up his forehead protector, "...we take them out, of course."

"But there's so many! How-" Naruto began.

"Don't forget that we are ninjas and they are mindless creatures. We have the capability to use jutsus," Kakashi explained, sounding surer of himself, "and remember, if you recognize someone... it isn't them anymore. Do not hesitate to destroy these monstrosities."

Naruto nodded with sudden determination as he made the single seal needed to form many shadow clones. The clones appeared, and they all reached into their clothing and produced a kunai. Sakura, staring at the clones, was suddenly very worried.

"Wait!" she cried out, having to shout to be heard above the moans of the dead, "What if one of the clones gets bit? Their chakra is connected to you!"

The clones all began to fidget about in worry upon hearing this. A few of the clones had charged forward before Sakura spoke, and, upon hearing her, awkwardly stopped their charge and backpedaled to the position they were spawned from.

"I don't think Naruto will be in any danger," Kakashi said, also shouting to be heard, "the clones vanish as soon as any relevant physical pain is inflicted upon them. Just don't get any blood in your eyes or mouth."

And suddenly, the clones had a sudden boost in morale and vigor. With renewed assurance, the clones let out war cries as they charged into the undead horde, kunais ready to strike.

Sakura blinked a bit, dumbfounded by how the clones were taking this catastrophe. She glanced over at Naruto to see if he was having a good time, but he held the same grim look that he had on since she first saw him today. She noticed that Kakashi was not preparing for battle... were they supposed to wait for the clones to wipe out most of the undead in the area?

She took the inactivity of her two companions as a sign that her hunch was correct. She turned to look at the horde ahead of them. She could not see the clones due to the congestion of swarming undead, but she could see the occasional burst of smoke signifying that a clone had been bitten.

After some time had passed, Naruto announced with determination, "That was the last of them! It's up to us now!" Kakashi and Sakura nodded and sprinted towards the significantly smaller horde, Naruto followed them. As he ran, another shadow clone appeared next to him, but only to assist in creating a Rasengan. Likewise, Kakashi had formed a Raikiri. The two charged fist-first into the crowd, using their powerful techniques to tear apart any zombie unfortunate enough to be in the way.

Sakura sighed with slight annoyance at their reckless charge. Kakashi had just warned them about not getting any blood on their faces, and now they were running through the zombies with jutsus that could easily rip through a person! That, and they were in such close proximity to the dangerous beasts! Sakura shook her head as she raised both of her fists above her head before slamming them against the ground. Her excellent chakra control caused a powerful shockwave to be sent out the moment her fists contacted the ground. It rushed forward, knocking most of the zombies in the immediate area to the ground, as well as rupturing the earth. Sakura produced a kunai from a pouch on her outfit and walked forward.

The first one she approached was a little girl that couldn't have been any older than eight. Sakura's attack had snapped both of her legs in twisted positions. Despite this, the girl moaned and clawed at Sakura, who began to cry. She walked over and kicked the girl back before stabbing the kunai into her face. She sobbed aloud as she kept stabbing the girl until her face was nothing but a bloody mess.

"SAKURA! LOOK OUT!" Naruto cried. Sakura turned around in shock to see what appeared to be a man approaching her. It was hard to tell what this person looked like in her teary vision, but it was easy to know that this person was one of the undead. Naruto rushed forward with a cry of rage as he slammed his Rasengan into the zombie's head, grinding it to a messy pulp. The spinning ball of chakra faded, and Naruto helped Sakura up.

"Are they-" she began.

"Most of them..." Naruto said lowly, "...that shockwave of yours really messed up some of them, so we don't have to worry about them. It's just..."

"They still move, don't they?" Sakura asked bluntly.

"Yeah..." Naruto said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. His facial expression then became more hopeful as he said, "...well, at least we can go inside the Administration Building now!"

"You're right," Sakura nodded absentmindedly, "um... is Kakashi-sensei okay?"

"Sort of..." Naruto said as he pointed behind him with his thumb. Sakura peered over Naruto's shoulder and saw Kakashi's back facing her. He was hunched over, and she could see vomit falling from his mouth. His mask was pulled down, of course, but she could only see a bit of the side of his face. Sakura turned away and her gaze fell upon the little girl once more. She felt tears form in her eyes again.

"Who could do such a thing?" Sakura asked nobody in particular.

"Well, what went well," Kakashi said nonchalantly as he strolled up to the two, "it could have been a bit... cleaner, but..."

He stopped talking as he noticed that Sakura and Naruto both seemed depressed. He sighed and simply said, "Come on, let's go."

The two nodded, Sakura wiping her tears as they followed Kakashi towards the building. Naruto tried to avoid glancing at the ground. It was all so disturbing... they had just killed many innocent people afflicted with a terrible curse, and now they were walking over and around their bodies like it was nothing.

Kakashi had a kunai ready as they approached the doors of the Administration Building. He knocked on the large doors, and, after not receiving any response (alive or undead), he pushed open the doors.

"I just hope that if anybody is alive, that they won't mistake us for one of those creatures... I mean, I'm sure Sakura would be fine, but Naruto and I are awfully messy..." he remarked to nobody in particular as they entered.

They could instantly tell that some sort of conflict had occurred in the building. There were a few bodies scattered throughout the lobby of the building. Sakura ran up to investigate them. They all had a few senbon needles imbedded in their heads.

"These are Shizune's!" Sakura called out with renewed hope. Her voice echoed throughout the seemingly empty first floor and a series of low moans from somewhere in the right wing of the first floor echoed back.

"Well, we know what way _not_ to go," Kakashi said with a light smile as he walked over to the left wing, Naruto and Sakura following him. He then stopped in front of a large staircase.

"Shall we go up?" he asked.

"My voice sounded like it echoed pretty far... but I don't know if it reached the second floor. If someone was down here, they would have answered," Sakura said.

"Well... someone _did_ answer..." Naruto said grimly, "...let's just hope Granny Tsunade and Shizune weren't among them..."

"Okay, up it is, then," Kakashi said as he began to walk up the long staircase. The Administration Building had, at first, been the Hokage's personal mansion. It was built tall, but without many floors. So each individual floor was around the equivalent to three or four stories of a normal building in Konoha. The First Hokage must have liked his space, Kakashi reasoned. As a need for governing and general administration arose, the left and right wings were tacked on to the mansion, and a top floor for important meetings was added. Kakashi just wished that they had added elevators so the hike up the long staircases would be avoided. After a good minute or so, they finally reached the second floor.

"Which way should we-" Naruto began, but his voice was muffled when Kakashi suddenly covered his mouth with his hand. Naruto had learned to not even protest when this happened, but instead to just shut up and listen. In the distance, there were footsteps.

"I'll take care of them," Sakura whispered. She walked over to the corner they were near and she laid her back against the wall. She readied herself as she heard the footsteps draw closer and closer... they were just around the corner now...

Sakura made a fierce cry as she rounded the corner, her fist prepared to strike. Her fist collided into... a palm? Sakura looked up at who she attacked, and her eyes widened and she blushed with embarrassment.

"L-Lady Tsunade! I'm s-sorry! I didn't-" she stammered.

"It's fine," Tsunade sighed as she let go of Sakura's fist, "we were thinking the same thing I was thinking. You just struck first."

There was a brief pause as the two groups looked at each other. It seemed as if this was the first sign of hope on this terrible day.

"Well..." Shizune said, breaking the silence, "...it's good to know you three are okay."

"The same," Naruto said.

"So why exactly are you here?" Tsunade asked bluntly.

"Is this really the place to discuss things?" Naruto asked with slight annoyance, "My feet are killing me..."

"Fine," Tsunade grumbled, "but you _do_ know my office is on the third floor, right?"

Naruto moaned in despair. Sakura scowled at him and flicked him on the forehead.

"Hey, what was that for?" he asked in anger.

Kakashi grabbed Naruto and Sakura by the shoulder and leaned down and forward, his head between their heads.

"Why don't we go to the safe office so we aren't eaten by things that are attracted to loud noises?" he said lightheartedly.

That got them moving. They quietly headed up the nearby stairs to the third floor. Luckily for them, the second floor was smaller in height, so they got there faster. A few moans were heard in the distance as they arrived on the third floor, so they quietly followed Tsunade as she led them to her office. There were no zombies on the way there, and they soon arrived in front of two doors. Tsunade opened one and peered inside.

"It's clear," she said quietly as she entered. The other four followed, and Shizune closed the door behind them. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi all took a seat on some chairs in the room, and Tsunade sat on the chair next to her desk, with Shizune standing beside her.

"So, who wants to go first?" Kakashi asked with a cheerful tone.

"Will you cut that crap out?" Naruto asked, "Stop being so happy!"

"Like I said earlier, it helps me cope," Kakashi said with a small sigh.

"Well, judging from your clothing, you've no doubt encountered the zombies," Tsunade said sternly.

"Uh, actually, they're called... wait, what?" Naruto asked with bewilderment upon hearing Granny Tsunade call the zombies by their proper names.

"That is right," Kakashi said lowly, ignoring Naruto, "and I can assume by some of the dead I killed that ANBU has failed?"

Tsunade hung her head in sorrow, "Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. They were brave men and women..." Tsunade said, also ignoring Naruto.

"Wait... ANBU fell?" Sakura asked in disbelief, "But... they're..."

"Is Yamato-sensei okay?" Naruto asked with sudden concern.

"We don't know..." Shizune said quietly, "...he could be alive, dead, or one of those monsters. We just don't know..."

"Well," Kakashi said gravely, "do you know anything about what has happened?"

Tsunade leaned forward and crossed her fingers as her elbows rested on the desk, "Whoever is behind this knows Konoha well. The Barrier Team never contacted me when the perpetrator entered Konoha. They couldn't, because the enemy got to them first. Shortly after I discovered this, all video communications were taken down," she explained.

"Oh, so you know someone's behind it?" Kakashi asked as he leaned back and rested his right ankle on his left leg. Sakura and Naruto were confused at first by Kakashi's question, but then they realized that Kakashi was finding out everything Tsunade knew.

"Yes... this isn't a natural disease. This is the result of a horrible jutsu."

"How do you know that?" Sakura asked.

"Don't tell me you read the comic books..." Naruto said with suspicion.

"Comic books?" Tsunade scoffed, "You mean the ones made by Daisuke Sato?"

"Uh... yeah..." Naruto said, weirded out and dumbfounded. He never expected Tsunade to read those types of books.

"Ha! He's never been the same since that event. He writes out his nightmares in story form..." Tsunade said with slight bitterness.

"Wait... 'that event'?" Sakura and Naruto asked.

"It's the past, which isn't important right now," Tsunade said, "what _is_ important right now is if _you_ three know anything about this disaster."

"You're in luck," Kakashi said as he shifted his position slightly, "because the two that are behind this seems to like us a lot."

"Is it the work of Orochimaru?" Shizune asked.

"No, worse. Akatsuki," Kakashi said stoically.

"What!" Tsunade exclaimed as she leaned back in her seat, her hands now resting on the desk, slightly gripping it, "But that doesn't make sense! Why would they-"

"Because the ones behind this are not affiliated with them anymore," Kakashi interrupted, "Naruto ran into the first one on his way to rescue Sakura. Later, we bumped into him again as we coincidentally found their base of operations. His partner jumped in soon after that."

"What are their abilities?" Tsunade asked with urgent concern.

"The one Naruto encountered first is a man known as Kenokami. He has several swords and is pretty strong, but he is lacking in ninjutsu skill. What makes him dangerous is that he's a jinchuuriki and has incredible healing powers."

"A... jinchuuriki?" Shizune gasped in shock.

"His partner is a woman. She was cloaked, so I didn't see her face, but she's much deadlier. She's fast, and she has several hidden traps, poisons, and other sneaky reaction jutsus. She somehow dodged my Kamui skill, and I know she's the one that used the jutsu that started all of this."

"This is not good..." Tsunade said as she stared down at the desk.

"Should we attack their base?" Naruto asked.

"That would be a foolish move. Who knows if they are still there? What if they are expecting us?" Tsunade said with a chastising tone.

"What if we contact the other villages for assistance?" Shizune suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Great in theory, but there are multiple things complicating it..." Tsunade said grimly, "...video communications are down, which means we would have to use a messenger bird or someone else. That would cause at least a few days before they can reach us. The building with the messenger birds is on the other side of the village... and those zombies might have broken in for a snack..."

"Well then, it looks like I'm delivering the letter to Sunagakure," Kakashi said as he stood up and stretched.

"What? But-" Naruto began.

"You heard what Lady Tsunade said. We haven't run into anyone else, and I know the fastest routes to the Sand village. I will deliver the letter."

"Why just the Sand? Why not the other great ninja villages? I mean, I know we only have one messenger, but couldn't we write other letters and hold on to them in case we find someone else?" Sakura asked.

"It's pointless," Tsunade said sadly with a small sigh, "that would be assuming that we even find anyone else that hasn't become a mindless monster. I know that sounds cynical, but Shizune and I haven't found any survivors in this building."

"What about the other old geezers?" Naruto asked.

"They're in the safety room," Shizune said, "they got mouthy with Tsunade, so she locked them up. I don't think it would be okay to let them out yet."

"Shizune's right. And the other villages won't help us. The Mist and the Rock... we've been on shaky terms with them for some time. They're not going to suddenly assist us. The Cloud might help, but they have the roughest terrain to cross to get here. They'll turn us down. The Sand, however, only has flat deserts and forests to cross, and we're allies. They're the only reasonable choice," Tsunade said.

"I'll write the letter," Kakashi said, "you'll just need to add a little confirmation and stamp the Hokage seal on the document so they are forced to accept what the letter says."

"Yeah, sure..." Tsunade sighed as she slouched in her chair, "...I could use some fucking sake right now..."

Shizune took a pen and paper from Tsunade's desk and handed it to Kakashi, who walked over to a nearby table and began to write the letter.

"Wait... couldn't you just explain it to them?" Naruto asked incredulously as he raised an eyebrow.

"First off," Kakashi said as he continued to write, "they wouldn't believe me. Secondly, it's much easier to pass around a document than to repeat things over and over again."

Naruto skulked at Kakashi's comment, which he was often to do after having his intellect discreetly insulted.

"What are we going to do?" Sakura asked to the Hokage. Tsunade turned her head towards her.

"It's going to be dangerous... but I can't sit idly by while there might still be people we can save. Naruto, Sakura... you will accompany Shizune and I. We're going out into the village to search for survivors," Tsunade said.

"And... done!" Kakashi exclaimed. He walked over to Tsunade and handed her the letter and a pen. Tsunade wrote something down and then took a rubber stamp out from her desk. She lightly touched the bottom, and, upon seeing that the ink was still fresh, stamped the paper with the official seal of the Hokage. Shizune had the envelope ready for Kakashi, who folded up the letter, placed it inside, and closed it.

"Well, then... I wish you all luck," Kakashi said with slight hesitation as he tucked the letter into his flak jacket.

"I... uh..." Naruto began, but his words became lost.

"Thank you for everything, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes tearing up.

"Oh, don't be too sentimental! Chances are we'll see each other again! You have the Hokage on your side... what can go wrong?" Kakashi said with a smile.

"Right!" Naruto exclaimed with vigor that Sakura thought he had lost, "We'll do our best!"

"Normally, I'm not the religious type... but may the gods watch over you..." Tsunade said solemnly.

"Yes! You'll be in my prayers, for sure!" Shizune said with a nod.

"Thank you all. I'd like to stay, but... it's best I get going. Goodbye!" Kakashi exclaimed with a wave as he walked over to the door. The other four waved back as Kakashi opened the door without looking at it. He felt his heart stop beating when he saw their happy faces turn into ones of terror.

"LOOK OUT!" Tsunade screamed as she pointed behind Kakashi. Kakashi turned around just in time to see a zombified Anko Mitarashi lunging towards him.

This moment would come to haunt Naruto whenever he closed his eyes to rest, along with all of the others he could do nothing to save. He would remember seeing Anko in the doorway, her eyes completely white; mouth slightly agape, and, eerily enough, no visible wounds on her. He would remember Kakashi's face, paralyzed with fear, as he could not react fast enough.

Anko sank her teeth into the left side of Kakashi's neck. She yanked her head back, ripping off a piece of his neck, like it was some sort of trophy for the zombie. Kakashi tried shoving Anko away, but her grip was far too tight. She leaned in to eat some more of the bloodied area on his neck.

Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune were still rooted in place by shock. Naruto's rage, however, overrode his shock.

"DAMN IT AAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!" Naruto shrieked with rage as he charged forward, a steady stream of tears flowing down his cheeks. He slammed his fist into the zombified Anko's head, successfully knocking her away from Kakashi. Kakashi clutched his neck wound and stumbled backwards until he slumped over against Tsunade's desk.

"K-Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried out as she, too, began to cry.

Anko lunged for Naruto, who punched her in the face once more. Naruto's hand stung from the force of his blow, which caused the zombie to stumble back once more. Anko looked straight at Naruto, some blood trickling down her nose, as she snarled and lunged towards Naruto once more. She grabbed his shoulders and successfully knocked Naruto to the ground. Naruto grabbed her neck to prevent her from biting him, and he tried to push her off, but her grip was too tight. Her bloody mouth inched closer to her face as Naruto's strength weakened. Her mouth was snapping at him as her moans of hunger became more excited. Her hot breath was falling on his face, and it smelled of a mixture of death, dumplings, and blood.

"Tsunade!" Shizune cried as she shook Tsunade, who was locked in a hemophobic stupor, "Snap out of it! People need help!"

Sakura was kneeling down next to Kakashi, trying her best to heal the wound on his neck. It was working! The bloody hole was slowly closing!

"Sakura... please... stop!" Kakashi weakly exclaimed, "Healing me... won't work. I'm going to become one of... them soon. You have to kill me... while I'm still human."

Naruto heard those words, and his muscles weakened further. Anko was just centimeters from his face now.

"DAMN IT!" Naruto roared as he found a new burst of strength. He threw Anko off of him and pulled a kunai out from his ninja tool pouch. He roared with anger as he charged forward and tackled Anko to the ground. The disoriented zombie reached towards Naruto's arm to bite it, but her arm fell limp as Naruto stabbed her in the head.

"DAMN IT!" Naruto screamed as he continued to stab Anko. Each stab produced more tears, and more hatred for the ones that caused this. With every stab, another "DAMN IT!" rushed from Naruto's mouth. He kept stabbing and smashing her head until nothing but a bloody mess remained. He panted heavily and dropped the kunai, slowly standing up and then quickly turning around. He saw Kakashi looking at him, but not with the look of a wise and powerful teacher, but of a weak and dying man.

"Naruto... you're the only one who has the guts to kill me..." he said, "Please... while I'm still human..."

"But... I can't! I can't!" Naruto cried as more tears managed to fall from his eyes.

"Can't means won't. Do you want me to become a zombie and possibly bring harm to you all? No. You have to kill me now..." Kakashi said, his breathing becoming heavier and his voice losing its strength.

"But... K-Kakashi..." Sakura sobbed quietly.

"'Those who don't care for their companions are worse than trash,'" Kakashi recited. He took a deep breath, and added, "Please... it's for the best. I'm sure... you can find someone else... to deliver the letter..."

Naruto gulped as he pulled out another kunai. His entire body was shaking in trepidation towards what had to be done.

"Thank you... I can finally... be reunited with Obito and Rin... good... bye..." Kakashi said faintly. After he spoke, he took a final shaky breath, and exhaled. His head then fell limp.

"K-Kakashi?" Sakura asked fearfully. There was no response.

"Y-You have to kill him!" Shizune cried out, her eyes teary as well, "Before he turns!"

_Why can't I wake up?_ Naruto thought, _Why can't this be just a horrible nightmare?_

Kakashi made a small spasm as the familiar sound of blood falling from a mouth could be heard. A bit of blood that had leaked out of his mask fell to the ground. He began to stir slightly as he made a small rasping sound.

"He's reanimating!" Shizune cried out in fear, "Do it, NOW!"

Before Naruto could act, Kakashi let out a bestial roar as he lunged forward and grabbed Naruto, knocking him to the ground. His mask was still on, but Naruto saw that Kakashi had pure white eyes. Naruto closed his eyes, awaiting his end.

"NOOOOOO!" Sakura howled in despair as she picked up the kunai that had fallen from Naruto's hand. She thrust it down into Kakashi's skull, and his body became lifeless once more. Naruto pushed the body off of him and scrambled to his feet.

"I'll kill them..." Naruto growled, "...I'LL KILL THOSE TWO FOR THIS!"

Tsunade finally snapped out of her trance. She instantly knew that everything had gone wrong, since she was somewhat aware while locked up in her own fear. She saw Anko's corpse with the smashed in face, and Kakashi lying face down with a kunai in his head. She clenched her fist tightly, vowing to not let her fears overcome her again.

"We have to go..." she said quietly, but sternly.

"What?" Sakura asked as she turned to Tsunade with a teary gaze, "But... Kakashi..."

"Take the letter from his jacket..." Tsunade said, her voice faltering.

Naruto and Sakura did not move; instead, they just turned to look at their fallen teacher.

"WE HAVE TO GO!" Tsunade shouted fiercely, tears rolling down her cheeks, "We won't accomplish anything by standing around mourning someone's death! Kakashi wouldn't want us to do this! We have to take the letter and continue our mission to rescue any survivors!"

Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes, "You're right..." he said lowly. Sakura merely nodded as she stood up and wiped away her tears. Shizune walked over to Kakashi's body and turned it over. She reached into his flak jacket and pulled out the letter. She placed it in her own robe and stared sadly at Kakashi momentarily. She then stood up and looked at Tsunade.

"Lead the way," she said quietly.

Tsunade, Shizune, Naruto, and Sakura all silently said goodbye to Anko and Kakashi as they exited the room. The door was shut behind them, showing that it was time to move on.

* * *

Yamato appeared at the secret entrance to the chambers of Root. It was a well-concealed area in the forests of Konoha, it being the face of a small cliff. The only clue to its location was a single mysterious marking carved onto the wall, and the slightest difference in color on the rock. Yamato walked straight into the discolored area of rock and passed through it. That part of the cliff was simply a genjutsu that was upheld by the marking next to it.

Yamato walked a few feet before he encountered a very long chasm that descended down. Yamato glanced down at the large vertical tunnel, seeing the rock walls transform to metal quite a ways down. To most, it would appear to be another dead end, but Yamato knew his way around Root's chambers. He turned to his left and felt the wall for a slight indentation. Once he found it, he slid it to the right, revealing a concealed control panel with a few buttons. He punched a button, causing parts of the walls in the vertical tunnel to "open", revealing mechanical rails of sorts. He pressed another button, and he could hear a mechanical whir far below. It gradually grew louder and louder until the elevator finally reached his position, the doors sliding open. Yamato stepped inside and pressed the button to descend to the bottom level.

After a few minutes, the elevator doors slid open, and Yamato stepped out. Two masked ANBU members were awaiting him. They stared at him for a moment, and one spoke into a radio under his mask.

"It's Yamato," he simply said. There was a momentary pause as the voice on the other end said something, and then the two men turned and began walking down the corridor, one of them waving Yamato to follow. He complied, and they eventually met up with Danzou, who walked up to them using his cane to assist his movement.

"Why, Yamato, would you barge into our headquarters without giving warning?" Danzou asked politely, but with a threatening undertone under his voice.

"I'm sorry, but... but..." Yamato said with slight panic. Even his intense training had not prepared him for a catastrophe like the one that was sweeping the village. He took a heavy breath and composed himself, "...there is a terrible disaster spreading throughout the village!"

"Is that so?" Danzou asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"You mean you haven't-" Yamato began.

"No, I have received reports of the creatures. I just did not consider them a threat. I thought the Hokage and her forces could eliminate them before they became a problem. It seems I overestimate the effectiveness of her rule," Danzou said with a slight chastising tone to his voice. The old man did not grin, but Yamato could sense that was how the leader of Root was feeling currently. This, naturally, made Yamato angry.

"How can you say that!" he exclaimed indignantly, "Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have died! The rest of ANBU has likely fallen! We only had enough personnel for five four-man squads, and my squad was taken out! If Yuugao, Tokiro, and Mashiro have fallen, then there is little doubt of the chances the other teams have!"

Danzou frowned as he slightly turned away. "I apologize... sometimes you do not perceive threats accurately when you are holed up down here. I can see that the village is in great danger. Has the Hokage contacted any outside assistance?"

"Before she ordered us to attack, she said she was going to investigate why the Barrier Team did not contact her. I don't know the results she discovered or her current status. The ANBU did not hesitate to carry out her orders to attack the cannibals. We split up to cover as much of the village as possible. I was told to come here for assistance by Tokiro..." Yamato said grimly.

"Very well. I will send a few men to investigate the village. You, Yamato, shall-" Danzou began.

"Just a _few_ men?" Yamato asked, almost becoming outraged.

"Calm down, Yamato," Danzou spoke with authority, "I cannot brashly send out all of my men, especially since most of them are performing confidential missions for me elsewhere. However, I _will_ assist. Be assured of that."

He looked towards the two Root members that flanked Yamato. "You two, scout out the village and return to me in an hour with your findings," he ordered. The two men did not speak as they body flickered away. He then looked towards Yamato again.

"As for the assistance I can directly provide you... I shall give you Sai. You two have gotten along with the Kyuubi brat and the pink-haired girl. You have tainted one of my men, Yamato, but as long as he holds his conduct in front of me and the rest of Root, you will not be punished," Danzou said. He then placed his fingers to his lips and made a sharp whistle. Sai appeared by Danzou's side.

"Yes, sir?" Sai asked.

"Your new assignment is to serve under Yamato once more. This mission is a bit direr, but I am sure Yamato can fill you in on the details," Danzou said to Sai. He then gazed at Yamato, "If she is still alive, tell Tsunade my plans of action and why I cannot offer any more men. That is all."

Danzou turned and hobbled away on his cane. Yamato sighed and said to Sai, "Let's go." The two began to walk back towards the elevator. If Sai was shocked by hearing the possibility that the Hokage might be dead, he certainly did not show it. They entered the elevator, which began to rise.

"So, what exactly is happening now?" Sai asked bluntly.

"A horrifying plague is spreading across Konoha, turning people into violent cannibals. If the infected bite someone, the lethality rate of the plague is guaranteed, and they shortly become a cannibal themselves. We don't know who started this, but... it's bad, Sai... the village is in great danger," Yamato said.

"I don't understand... but I suppose I will experience this with my own eyes," Sai said with a slight frown. He then added, "What is our action?"

Yamato felt very uneasy as he began to consider the choices they could make. Finding Tsunade was important, but what about other people? What if Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, or anybody else was in danger and needed help? How would they be able to find out where they were and if they were still alive?

"...Yamato?" Sai asked.

Yamato closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. He looked at Sai with determination.

"We find Tsunade," he said.

* * *

Akamaru quickly sprinted into the room, followed by Kiba. The Inuzuka boy turned around and slammed the door shut. He scanned the room and saw a desk nearby. He walked over to it and pushed it in front of the door. As soon as it was in place, Kiba sank to the ground, his back resting against the desk. Behind him, growls, barks, and bestial snarls could be heard as the assailants he fled from were bashing on the door.

Akamaru walked up to Kiba and whimpered. Kiba sighed and petted Akamaru's snout.

"I don't know what to do either, boy..." Kiba replied quietly as he felt his eyes begin to water. He shook his head and mentally cursed at himself, _Don't cry, you pussy!_ Despite this, the tears began to fall. All of the knowledge he had about the current situation suggested that the entire clan except for him had turned into those cannibalistic monsters. Even the dogs had become rabid! Yet they did not try to eat each other; they seemed to work together to try and eat the ones not like them. And Kiba had witnessed with his own eyes what happens when one of them bites you...

Akamaru made a small yip as he rubbed his face against Kiba. The Inuzuka boy smiled at his companion's affection, but that smile faded once he heard what Akamaru said.

"Absolutely not, boy," Kiba said with a hint of chastisement in his voice, "We've been together for far too long; I won't let you sacrifice yourself."

Akamaru made another light yip. This caused Kiba to sigh.

"No, I don't know how we're going to get out of here. It'd certainly be nice if this room had a window..." Kiba said despondently, "...but I don't have that many ninja tools, and you can't bite them, because we saw what happened with Kuromaru..."

Kiba recalled when the cannibals first showed up. His mother had been the first to leap into action, as usual. So she and her animal companion, Kuromaru, practically ran out to combat the cannibals. Kuromaru rushed forward and bit into one of the cannibals, and he began to thrash about in pain. Soon after, he started acting like the freaks and bit his mom...

Kiba and Akamaru jumped in fright as a hand burst through a small part of the door. The hand moved about, futilely trying to grab the two. Kiba could see his mother's face through the hole, her eyes that creepy soulless white color.

Akamaru growled at the zombies past the door. Kiba looked at him in shock.

"Fang Over Fang?" Kiba asked in bewilderment, "But... that's too risky! And we might hurt-"

Akamaru barked at Kiba, who lowered his head in shame.

"Yeah... you're right. Mom... Sis... everyone else... it's not them anymore. But... are you sure, boy?"

Akamaru made another confident bark. Kiba stood up and took a deep breath.

"Okay then!" he said confidently as he formed some hand seals. He lowered himself on all fours as he felt his fingernails form into claws and his teeth sharpen. Akamaru transformed into a clone of Kiba and hopped on his back. Chakra began to flow throughout the two as they began to spin around rapidly until they appeared as a whirling tunnel of wind. They charged forward, easily crushing the desk and the door, along with injuring and scattering the infected on the other side. Kiba and Akamaru stopped using the technique, and Akamaru transformed back into his original shape. Kiba hopped on his partner as the two briefly turned around to survey the damage they caused.

A few of the clan members (including the dogs) were splayed across the ground, their heads either snapped or cracked open from the sheer force of being knocked back into the wall from Kiba and Akamaru's jutsu. The few stragglers that survived the attack were slowly standing up and moaning or growling (depending on their species). Tsume was one of the survivors, and her wounds were even worse. There was the piece of her right side missing from when Kuromaru bit her, and now blood was slowly running down her face and her left arm was twisted in a painful way. His sister was nowhere to be seen.

Tsume let out an angered bestial shriek as she dropped on all fours and began running towards Kiba and Akamaru. The other clan members imitated the clan head and began their pursuit.

"Shit!" Kiba swore as Akamaru turned around and began to run down the hallway. They turned a corner, and Akamaru bumped into someone. Kiba fell off of Akamaru, who was growling at the thing they crashed into. Kiba looked up to see the zombified form of his older sister above him!

Hana groaned as she lurched towards Kiba, dropping on her knees to get closer to him. She lunged forward and grabbed him, her head moving closer to bite him. Kiba was holding her head back as he tried to push her off, but her grip was too tight. He could hear the sounds of the other zombified Inuzukas in the distance.

"Damn it, I _don't_ need this!" Kiba shouted as he headbutted his sister, the force of the blow enough to make her grip falter. Kiba planted a foot into her belly and thrust it forward, throwing Hana off of him. Kiba scrambled to his feet and hopped on Akamaru, and they were off.

They continued through the hallway, turning a few more corners, and then they saw a window. Kiba braced himself as Akamaru leaped towards it, shattering the glass. Akamaru landed and took off, not giving the zombies in pursuit of them a chance to catch up. A few zombies lunged at Akamaru, but he swerved to avoid the clumsy corpses. Akamaru barked.

"Where to?" Kiba repeated, "...Fuck. I'm not sure... this whole thing is too chaotic. I guess we head to sensei's apartment. She'll know what to do!"

Akamaru barked once more as he began to take a seemingly random route through some alleyways before emerging onto the main street once more. This was to throw off the Inuzuka zombies following them. Even though it would be relatively simple for any Inuzuka to tell that they were still on the path they started on, it didn't seem to Akamaru that the zombies were intelligent enough to figure that out.

"Hey, good thinking, boy!" Kiba exclaimed as he petted Akamaru on the head. The dog barked in approval as he sped up slightly. The air rushed by them as they headed towards Kurenai's apartment, and Kiba, for a moment, felt relaxed. Then he remembered the chaos in the village... the chaos that would take some time to fully accept. But for now... he would approach this crisis face first.

* * *

Hinata absentmindedly poked at her breakfast with her fork, her other hand holding up her head. She really didn't feel good today... all she could think about was Naruto and all of the times she failed to express her care for him, along with all of the missed opportunities where she could have talked to him.

"Hinata, your food will get cold if you don't eat it," Hanako, Hinata's mother, said as she looked at her daughter with a small frown.

"She's probably thinking about Naruto again," Hanabi, Hinata's little sister, said as she took a large bite of her breakfast.

"A-Am not!" Hinata defensively said as she blushed, which all but gave things away.

"Honey, you're only depressed because you never built up the courage to ask him," Hiashi said.

"B-But... I don't think he has any idea... and he likes that Sakura girl..." Hinata said quietly.

"You have nothing to fear. If you keep waiting, then he very well may get that Sakura girl," Hiashi said with a single nod.

"He's right, dear. And we're always here to help you in case he's unsure or turns you down," Hanako added.

"I... you're right!" Hinata said with newfound determination, "I'm going to ask him today!"

"That's the spirit!" Hanako exclaimed with a smile.

It was at that moment a silhouette of someone could be seen through the sliding door that was the entrance to this particular Hyuga household. The person was approaching the door, and it seemed as if they were wounded.

"Oh my! Is that person okay?" Hanako exclaimed as she pointed to the sliding door. The other three turned to look at the sliding door.

THUD!

The sudden burst of noise caused Hinata to jump slightly. Hiashi stood up with an urgent expression on his face.

THUD!

"Hang on!" he exclaimed, concerned about the condition of the injured person. He walked over to the sliding door and opened it, and he gasped upon seeing the Hyuga man.

"Hanabi! Get the medical supplies!" Hiashi exclaimed. Hanabi nodded and ran off to retrieve them without question. Hinata leaned over so that her dad was not obstructing the view of the person, and she gasped in shock upon seeing him.

A large section of this man's left cheek was missing! He was moaning in a pained stupor, and Hinata noticed several other small injuries on the man. Nothing as major as the face wound, but lots of cuts were on his clothing, and several bruises could be seen on the parts of skin that were exposed.

Hiashi, however, was most shocked at the man's eyes. They were like the Byakugan, but... they were not. And never before in the entire history of the clan had a Byakugan become discolored in any way.

His thoughts were silenced as his right hand burst into immense pain. Hiashi yelled in pain as he looked down and saw that the Hyuga man was... _eating his fingers!_

He pulled his hand away from the crazed man, his index and middle finger ripping off of his hand as he did so. Hiashi clutched his hand and doubled over in pain. Hanako rushed to her husband's side while Hinata backed up against a wall in fear. What was happening?

The crazed injured man moved towards Hiashi again, who promptly thrust his palm out towards the man, sending out a surge of chakra that knocked the man away.

"W-What did you do that for, honey!" Hanako asked with fear in her voice. She looked down and noticed that Hiashi's Byakugan was activated.

"That man... is dead..." Hiashi said weakly as he took heavy breaths.

"What?" Hanako said in disbelief as she activated her Byakugan. She zoomed in on the wounded man in the distance and saw that he had no chakra, even though he was still moving! Something else was inside of his body, likely controlling it, but it was as her husband had said... that man was definitely dead. Something terrible was happening!

Hiashi suddenly began to cough profusely. Hanako leaned down to comfort her husband, who spat up quite a bit of blood as his coughing stopped. He turned to his wife.

"Please... take Hinata and Hanabi and... get out of here! Leave me!" Hiashi pleaded.

"What are you talking about?" Hanako asked, worried by her husband's strange words.

"I have the first aid!" Hanabi exclaimed as she entered the room once more. Hanako looked up at her daughter with a warm smile, but her face showed signs of anxiousness.

"Good! Hurry and-" Hanako began.

"No!" Hiashi interjected weakly, "You have to... leave me! I can feel... I can..."

Hiashi's voice died away as he suddenly passed out. Hanako and Hanabi were both by his side and Hanako was taking supplies out of the first aid kit and trying to help Hiashi. Hinata was still backed up against the wall in fear, and she was more scared now than she had been earlier. Especially when her father began moving again while making the same kind of sounds the man that had attacked him had made.

"Good! It's working!" Hanako exclaimed in relief as she saw her husband began to move. The relief in her face turned to terror when she noticed that her husband's eyes seemed dead on the inside.

Hiashi grabbed her and lunged at her neck, biting into it. Hanako screamed in pain as she tried shoving the newly-turned Hiashi away from her. Hanabi scrambled back towards Hinata, and she clung to her sister's side.

"W-What's going on, Sis?" Hanabi stammered with fear.

"I... I don't know!" Hinata sobbed as she felt tears roll down her cheeks.

Their mother spat up blood and began to shake as if she was having a seizure. Hiashi stopped feasting on her neck and slowly turned towards Hinata and Hanabi. He moaned and began to shamble towards them. Hanako suddenly stopped shaking and slumped forward. A low moan fell from her lips, and she straightened herself and shuffled towards her two daughters. Both of them had the same soulless white eyes that the wounded man had.

"I... I don't think that these... things... are mom and dad anymore!" Hinata said with dismay as her zombified parents approached the two.

"What do you mean?" Hanabi asked as she looked up at her sister with wide eyes.

"They're acting just like that man that bit dad! And mom is still moving even though..." Hinata began, but her voice died out as the zombified parents drew closer. Hiashi lunged at them, and Hanabi squealed in fright. Hinata grabbed her little sister and quickly sprinted to the left to avoid their zombified father. Hanako was behind Hiashi, so now she was closer to her two daughters. She growled and lurched towards them with her mouth wide open and her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Hinata cowered as her despair began to take over.

"NO!" Hanabi shouted as she ran forward and rammed her shoulder into her mother, knocking her back. She stumbled as she moved back, and her poor balance made her fall to the ground. Hanabi turned towards her father and pushed him back as well.

"Come on, Hinata!" she urged her sister. Hinata was paralyzed with shock, so Hanabi grabbed her sister's arm and dragged her outside. Hanabi ran a few yards once outside, but she decelerated to a stop as she looked around her.

Nearly every Hyuga had been reduced to the bestial state their parents were in, and they were zeroing in on their position. Hinata fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands as she began to bawl. Hanabi had lost all hope, as well. She saw movement in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see a Hyuga man next to her, his bloody maw open as he reached towards her...

...only to be knocked back by a powerful surge of chakra. Hanabi's countenance was refilled with hope as she looked towards her savior. His hands were covered in blood and his hair was unkempt due to sweat, but he was normal.

"Are you two all right?" asked Neji with concern. Hanabi slightly nodded, still in shock over the whole event. Neji took a fighting stance and moved closer to Hinata and Hanabi.

"Don't worry... I'll protect you," he said with determination as the zombies drew nearer.

* * *

"I'm still not sure about this, dad..." Shino said with suspicion. The two of them were alone in the basement of their house. His father, Shibi, was near the far wall from the staircase, examining something. He moved to the side, showing that he was studying a zombified woman restrained against the wall. She quietly moaned at Shibi while slowly moving her neck towards him in a pathetic attempt to bite him.

"But these people... creatures... are fascinating," Shibi mumbled as he stroked the woman's black hair. The woman turned her head to bite Shibi's hand, but he quickly withdrew it.

"They're monsters," Shino said with scorn towards his father.

"Is that what you think? I think they're a marvel," Shibi said.

"What's gotten into you?" Shino asked indignantly.

"They are dead, but they still walk," Shibi mused, ignoring his son, "still breathe, still pump blood. They are dead, but many things about them suggest that they are still alive. Look, they don't even feel pain!"

Shibi reached into his jacket and pulled out a kunai. He thrust it into the woman's left shoulder and dragged it downwards. The woman did not react as if she had been stabbed.

"What is the point of this? There are people that need to be saved!" Shino exclaimed with fierce anger towards his father.

"You're absolutely right, son, and believe me; I've worked on it," Shibi said solemnly.

"Really?" Shino asked, his voice riddled with skepticism.

"Of course! Most of the village is saved right now, and I just recently saved the entire Aburame clan!" Shibi exclaimed with mild hysterics.

"What are you talking about? Most of the village is in-" Shino began, but he had just realized what his father meant. He took a step back in shock as horror befell his face.

"You... you didn't..." Shino said quietly.

"These living dead are the perfect creature!" Shibi exclaimed with madness, "They are our destiny! It is what nature wants for humanity!"

"You are dead to me," Shino said with vehement anger, "You are insane! I will _not_ forgive the murderer of my clan!"

Shino charged forward and simply shoved his father backwards. Shibi's mad glee suddenly turned to pure rage. Shino might have been in trouble had the zombie not been behind his dad. The woman graciously sank her teeth into Shibi's shoulder, causing him to scream in pain.

"No! This can't happen! I can't become one of them!" Shibi cried out.

"Odd. I thought they were 'perfect.' It seems that you just wanted to build an army for yourself, isn't that right?" Shino asked stoically.

Shibi freed himself from the woman's grasp. He was leaning over while he clutched his wound. A mad grin spread across his face, "That was right... I could easily transmit this with the Kikaichu insects... and I did. I spread this gift to the Aburame clan, but... I was to lead them!"

Shibi began hacking up blood, and his legs lost their strength. He fell to the ground and looked up at his son.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" he asked.

Shino turned around and began walking away, "I have no sympathy for you. You can rot as one of the dead."

"SHINO! I AM YOUR FATHER! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME!" Shibi screamed. Shino ignored his father as he ascended up the stairs, burying all of his emotions. He had been used to hiding them, but right now was a time where casting off emotions would be very useful. He was the last of the Aburame clan, no thanks to the insane madman he left below, and now he would have to escape the Aburame clan grounds, only to enter a village gone mad. But he had to. He had to see if anyone else was okay.

* * *

Choji was exhausted, but he couldn't afford to stop moving. Especially not now. He had to get out of the Akimichi clan grounds! He still didn't know how exactly it had happened, but a few people showed up earlier that day. Choji remembered their bloodied forms and their hideous white eyes... probably because that was what he was fleeing from.

His parents had turned into the monsters, along with the rest of the clan, as far as he knew. They had somehow turned into cannibals, and they were able to spread their infection to others. He had to make sure Shikamaru and Ino were okay! He wouldn't be able to live with himself if they had become one of these freaky cannibals because he wasn't there to help them!

"Oof!" Choji exclaimed as he ran into someone, which caused him to fall down. He looked up and saw one of the cannibals. He rushed to stand up, but his limbs were aching.

_No, damn it! Not now! I need to get up!_ he thought as he mentally screamed at his body to move, but it wasn't complying with his demands. The man leaned down and grabbed Choji's leg.

"AHG! GEDDOFF!" Choji yelled as he kicked at the man with his free leg, but it wasn't working. Choji howled in pain as the man bit into his calf. As he instinctively reared his head back in pain, he could see several other cannibals above him. They all moaned as they leaned down and joined in on the banquet.

Choji thrashed about as the zombies clawed at him with gluttonous delight while they bit into him. Of particular interest to the zombies was Choji's large gut. Surely there was plenty of meat there! The zombies diverted their attention from his arms and legs and moved towards the center of his body. And then they feasted.

And the feast quickly stopped. The zombies stood up as if nothing had happened and began wandering about once more. The only difference was that Choji had joined them.

* * *

Ino was currently at the cash register in the Yamanaka flower shop. She was slouched over her desk, obviously bored. Usually, she had at least one or two customers show up in the morning to get flowers for a loved one or a funeral, but nobody had showed up today. She perked up when she heard the bells ring, signifying that someone had opened the door to the shop.

"How may I help you?" Ino cheerfully asked. She then saw her "customer", and screamed very loudly. The person approaching her was a bald man with bloodied skin and clothing. His bloody mouth was agape, showing that his teeth were both yellow and red. Had this person... _eaten_ somebody?

Inoichi ran down the stairs. He was about to ask his daughter what was wrong, but that question would answer itself as he laid eyes on the bloody man. The man turned his attention to the closer Inoichi.

"Stop, immediately! I am a jonin, and I will not hesitate to bring you to justice!" Inoichi exclaimed as he pulled out a kunai.

The man was not deterred by this. He snarled and lunged at Inoichi, biting him between the neck and shoulder. Inoichi grunted in pain and stabbed the crazed man in the head, ending his life. The man fell lifelessly to the ground, and Inoichi clutched his wound. Ino gasped and hopped over the counter so she could reach her dad.

"Thank you, honey," Inoichi said as Ino began to heal the wound.

"What was wrong with him?" Ino asked with fear.

"I... I don't know... his eyes were this freaky white color. I think he may have been on some sort of drug, but I've never encountered anything like that..." Inoichi said. He then suddenly coughed up blood and passed out.

"Dad? DAD!" Ino shouted as she shook her unconscious father. He groaned after a bit as he stood up.

"Oh, thank goodness you're o... oka..." Ino started, but her voice faded away as she noticed that her father now had the same eye color as the crazed man that he just killed. Inoichi roared at Ino as he shot towards her. Ino screamed in fright as she scrambled to get up. She managed to get up before her father fell on her, but she tasted blood.

_His spit must have fell into my mouth..._ the analytical side of her thought while her body panicked.

"Dad, what are you doing? Why are you-" she asked frantically, but her voice was cut off with a yelp as she sprinted out of the way of her father, who had lunged at her again. Ino ran into a different room to get away from her father, but she suddenly felt very dizzy. She grabbed her head as it exploded in pain, and then she began to cough up blood. She paled at seeing her own blood on the ground as she thought back to what happened before her father became like the crazed man.

_Am I... am I going to..._ she thought, but that thought was never finished as she lapsed into unconscious. Ino would not wake up from this sleep as the same person. Her inner beast would seize the reins as soon as the infection spread throughout her body. There was a brief spasm of her body as her now-white eyes shot open. She groaned as she got herself to her feet. She shambled out of the room she was in and headed towards the open door of the Yamanaka flower shop. There was living prey somewhere outside... she could smell it, and she was _hungry._

_

* * *

_

Otoshi had taken a brief break from traveling through the shadows to soak up the sun on this beautiful day and, in general, enjoy the sounds of the forest. He was having quite a nice time, and then that time would be ruined as three bandits approached him.

"This is a toll road, chump," one bandit said.

"Yeah! You have to cough up your money if you want to live!" another bandit exclaimed.

"I may not be able to see, but surely you three can. Can you not see that I am a ninja?" Otoshi asked. He didn't mention anything about Akatsuki, because he could tell that these three men were incredibly stupid.

"Oh, so yer blind, eh?" the third bandit said as a big grin spread across his face, "Den dis 'ill be easy! Geddim!"

Otoshi gritted his teeth in fury as the man assumed that he would be an easy target just because he could not see. He would show them. He unsheathed a katana at his right side, another katana on his left side remaining sheathed. The bandits were yelling as they ran towards him, presumably with knives or some other weak weapon.

He heard a set of footsteps close to him, so he slashed his blade towards that direction, and he heard a cry of pain. He smirked as he leaped over the other two bandits and charged towards one of them as soon as he landed. He thrust his blade through another of the bandits before withdrawing it.

The last bandit, instead of taking a clue and fleeing, roared in anger as he charged at Otoshi.

"Pathetic," Otoshi scoffed as he sheathed his bloodied blade and made a few hand seals. The man suddenly stopped moving as he fell over dead. The spike Otoshi had formed from the man's shadow had pierced his heart. The shadow returned to normal, and Otoshi continued his stroll through the woods towards Konoha as if nothing had happened.


	6. Reunions

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 6:

They descended the stairs of the Administration Building in mostly silence. No other zombies were nearby, but they could be heard in the distance. The distant moans and the syncopated rhythm of the footsteps of the four were all that was able to be heard at the time.

Naruto's body was moving for him. His subconscious mind was following the three women out of the building, but his conscious mind was lost in thought. Images of Kakashi kept flickering through his mind. Memories of the past were interlacing together with visions of horror and despair. They all flashed across his vision: Seeing a smiling Kakashi oblivious to the zombie behind him. The zombie biting him. Seeing a dying Kakashi plead for Naruto to kill him. The spasm of his body, the sudden lunge at Naruto, and then being pinned down with the white eyes piercing through his soul.

And as the last image faded away, he found himself in the large and ominous chamber that was the prison of the Kyuubi. The mysterious dim red light basked the room in an eerie color that made the ankle-length water flooding the floor seem like blood. Naruto was a bit confused as he looked around to see why he was in this room, but he soon realized that his negative thoughts likely pulled him here. He felt a chill run down his spine as felt heard something massive stir behind him, along with the familiar sensation of the gaze of an immense evil. Naruto slowly turned around to face the beast.

The fox's mouth was pulled back into a toothy grin, the black interior of the fox's mouth visible. The canine eyes of red, orange, and black loomed over Naruto. The host glared at his beast, which seemed to be holding a sneering, mocking expression.

**"Oh, why do you look at me like that? Did something **_**bad**_** happen to you?"** the Kyuubi spoke, his deep and booming voice causing the water to vibrate. The fox was obviously taunting Naruto, for it could always see what Naruto could see.

"Don't play dumb!" Naruto indignantly shouted, "You know full well what happened!"

**"So what? Why are you mourning when you could have saved him?"** the fox asked. Naruto assumed an aggressive stance and he gritted his teeth.

"I COULDN'T HAVE SAVED HIM!" Naruto screamed as he felt warm tears roll down his cheeks.

**"**_**Really?**_** I'm sure if you were truly prepared for **_**anything**_** to happen, you would have reacted fast enough to save your precious teacher."**

"YOU'RE WRONG!"

**"Perhaps you are right. Yes... you are usually a novice at things like this. But that doesn't excuse the actions of the others..."**

"What do you mean?" Naruto growled as he tightly clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palm. Anything to keep him from lashing out at the fox.

**"The pink-haired one was closer to the teacher than you were. She easily could have reached him in time to save him from the undead woman."**

"What are you-" Naruto began, his voice harsh and his countenance enraged.

**"And the assistant woman. She has a device that launches needles. She could have killed the undead woman. And you think that all the Hokage could do was shout out a warning? Don't be fooled... they **_**let**_** him die."**

Naruto's eyes widened as he leaned forward.

"STOP SPEAKING BULLSHIT!" Naruto shrieked with fury at the hated fox. This only made the jesting grin on its face grow wider.

**"Keep telling yourself that. Sure, you could say that they were taken off-guard by the unexpected arrival of that undead woman, but they are **_**shinobi.**_** It is their duty to expect the unexpected. While one or two might slip at times, you think **_**three**_** would all fail to act? **_**Especially**_** when one of those three is the Hokage! It's their fault... they killed him."**

"But... no! Kenokami and that cloaked bitch..." Naruto struggled to say through rage and tears. The Kyuubi was speaking foul lies just to mess with his head... right?

**"And how do you know they started it? What if someone else started it, and they took the credit? Perhaps this plague has been sitting somewhere in the Fire Country for quite some time, and just now it was unleashed. Maybe those two caused it, but they've teamed up with someone in this village. Maybe that's why the Hokage didn't act-"**

"_SHUT THE FUCK UP!_" Naruto howled in anger as he dashed towards the cage containing the Kyuubi. He reached through the bars and tried to injure the fox in whatever way he could, but it was futile. The Kyuubi simply chuckled as he moved back away from Naruto's reach. Naruto quickly gave up and sank to his knees as he cried with violent sadness.

**"It's their fault... their fault..."** the fox said, unsure of how to continue messing with Naruto's head. He could feel his grip on the boy's mind become weaker.

"I said SHUT UP!" Naruto indignantly exclaimed.

Sakura, Shizune, and Tsunade turned towards Naruto with concerned looks on their faces.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Sakura asked with worry. Naruto realized that he had unknowingly shouted the last two words aloud.

"It's n...nothing..." Naruto said quietly as he hung his head low, "...let's keep going."

"Whatever the fox told you," Tsunade said as she resumed walking, "is most likely bullshit."

Sakura gasped and looked at Naruto. "Did the fox really-"

"Yes..." Naruto said lowly as he trudged behind Tsunade. Sakura and Shizune looked at each other for a bit, silently communicating their anxieties. They then followed the other two. They were in the lobby of the Administration Building, and they were heading towards the entrance...

The door was slammed as the four exited the building. The sun's bright light caused the four to shield their eyes as they adjusted to the brighter natural light. By squinting, it could be deduced that none of the walking dead were nearby. A slight breeze drifted by, the scent of death being carried along with it. A crow cried out as it realized its proximity towards the four survivors. It flapped its wings and flew away from the body it had been pecking at. Sakura paled as she saw that the crow had been eating a dead zombie.

"Do you think the crows will become...?" Sakura asked, unable to finish her question.

"It's unlikely..." Shizune said, "...I'm pretty sure that whatever is creating the zombies either only works on humans or only can be transmitted when the zombies are 'alive.'"

"Shizune is correct," Tsunade added, "on her second point only, though. Animals can be affected by this plague."

There was a moment of uneasy silence. Obviously, Tsunade had experience with these undead creatures, but she refused to explain herself. And now hardly seemed the time.

Naruto took a deep breath and managed to push back all of the bad memories of Kakashi, just like how he assumed Sakura had done. Now was not a time to be distracted by the past, he had concluded; it could cause lives to be lost, and that would only cause further pain.

The silence was unexpectedly broken when Tsunade announced, "We need to split up."

"What?" Naruto asked with worry as he turned to Tsunade, "Split up? Why?"

Tsunade sighed as she looked down at the ground, her countenance not a bright one. Obviously, she didn't like this, either. "We need to cover more ground," she said, "it increases the chance that we'll find more survivors."

"It also increases the chance that one of us might get killed and turned into one of those things!" Naruto shouted indignantly. How could Tsunade seriously be considering splitting up?

"Don't think of that!" Sakura cried out.

"Because if we just stay in one group," Tsunade replied to Naruto, using a more firm tone, "then we might not stumble upon somebody in their time of need, and there's one less person we can help."

_Is this seriously what it's coming down to?_ Naruto thought with anger, _Splitting up because we _might_ not be there to rescue somebody?_

Shizune saw the friction between Naruto and Tsunade, so she spoke up. "I... I think it's better than traveling together. Together, we'll attract more of those... things..."

"And don't forget about the rogue Akatsuki," Sakura added, "if we're together, both of them will attack us. If we're split up into two groups, then it's more likely that they'll split up to attack us, too."

"Or they'll team up to take one of the groups out, and then crush the other one," Naruto said grimly, "and what about Kakashi's letter? What if the other group runs into someone who can deliver it?"

"Enough," Tsunade said harshly, "Shizune, you and Naruto will search the left half of Konohagakure for survivors. Sakura and I will take the right half. Since Shizune already has the letter, she will be responsible for it. We meet back here at sundown. If the other group isn't back by nightfall, then... we assume that they are dead."

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto asked in disbelief, "We can't-"

"Please, Naruto," Sakura interrupted, "it's for the best."

There was a brief moment of silence as Naruto frowned and hung his head.

"Fine..." he sighed. He wasn't speaking the truth; he didn't like this idea at all, but it seemed that the other three were dead set on it. Arguing would just further delay things. Naruto felt a hand touch his shoulder. He looked up to see Shizune with a warm smile on her face.

"Don't worry, Naruto... I'm sure everything will be fine," she said reassuringly. Naruto said nothing and turned to look at Tsunade and Sakura.

"Don't die on me, you two," Tsunade said with the slightest hint of a sad smile.

"The same," Shizune said with a more apparent sad smile.

Naruto and Sakura walked up to each other. They simply stared into each other's eyes. A light breeze flew pass the two, rustling their clothing and hair slightly.

"Good luck, Naruto," Sakura said after a while with a small nod.

"You, too. Please come back safely," Naruto said.

There was another pause as they stared at each other, and then they turned and walked back to their respective group.

"Goodbye, Shizune!" Sakura exclaimed as she waved at the Hokage's assistant, who waved back. Naruto simply made a small wave at Tsunade, who nodded. Tsunade then turned to Sakura and said to her, "It's time to go." Sakura nodded, and the two turned and began to walk away, their backs facing Naruto and Shizune.

"Well... let's go, Naruto," Shizune said quietly. Naruto was staring in the direction Sakura and Tsunade was in. He seemed concerned.

"Is something wrong? You have to have faith in them... they'll be fine," Shizune said. Naruto ignored her.

"Wait!" Naruto called out as he sprinted over to the two. Sakura turned around and slightly yelped as she was met with a tight embrace from Naruto. She was unsure of what to do, but she could feel a slight blush. Her lip quivered as she felt her eyes begin to water. She returned Naruto's hug.

"Please... be careful..." Naruto said quietly.

"I will," Sakura said back. The two released each other, said their goodbyes again, and returned to their group once more. Naruto and Shizune turned their backs to Tsunade and Sakura as the two groups diverged and headed their separate ways.

And during all of this, they failed to notice that one of the nearby buildings had a window open, despite the other windows all being closed. This window had not been smashed open, either. They would also not notice the cloaked figure inside of the building, pressed up on the wall next to the window, listening in. And they certainly would not hear the cloaked figure depart, for she simply took a step forward and vanished.

* * *

Some time had passed since the two split up. Naruto and Shizune were currently on a street which, like all of the other streets they had took, was void of any life. There were bodies strung across the street, most of them having white eyes. Shizune had suspected that ANBU had managed to clear out some of the undead in this area. Still, while it seemed safe, these silent streets were unnerving. The silence seemed to amplify each noise tenfold, and the slightest disturbances sounded like one of the walking dead lying in wait somewhere nearby.

"I see something in the distance..." Naruto whispered to Shizune. He pointed ahead of them. On the other end of the street were two figures, one taller than the other.

"Are they dead?" Shizune asked.

"I don't know... they're too far away to tell."

The current breeze died down, allowing them to hear the sounds of eating nearby. They noticed that they were near an entrance to an alley. Shizune looked at Naruto.

"I'll head in the alley and take care of the zombies," she whispered, "You keep an eye on those two up ahead."

Naruto nodded. Shizune turned into the alleyway, and Naruto pressed himself up against the wall near the alley entrance as he watched the two approaching figures carefully.

As Shizune entered the alley, she instantly saw the source of the noises they had heard. She saw four of the undead creatures kneeling down and feasting upon a bloody, unrecognizable corpse. Shizune's face held a look of disgust and loathing towards the monster of a person that created this jutsu as she saw the former citizens of Konoha, including a small boy, gorge themselves on the bloody mess that used to be someone else.

Shizune raised her arm and pulled her sleeve back, revealing a device attached to her arm that fired senbon needles. She pulled the strings that fired the needles one-by-one, each of the needles hitting their mark. She additionally fired one into the bloody corpse's head, just to be sure. Shizune turned back to see Naruto watching her.

"You're supposed to be observing those two figures in the distance!" she scolded Naruto in a hushed tone. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized that his curiosity caused him to neglect his watch duties. He turned his head in the direction the two figures were approaching and saw Sai and Yamato right in front of him. This caused Naruto to jump back and yell in fright. Shizune rushed out of the alley, ready to kill whatever undead approached Naruto, and jumped back a bit when she, too, saw Sai and Yamato very close to her.

"Geez! You scared us! Don't sneak up on us like that!" Naruto said to the two.

"She got scared by us, but only slightly," Sai remarked as he pointed at Shizune, "and she was just expecting the monsters, but got us instead. You, however, were just shocked. By default, you have no penis due to being more scared than Miss Shizune here."

"What's with you and my penis?" Naruto growled at Sai.

"Cut it out, you two," Yamato said sternly. Sai shrugged slightly and Naruto glared at Sai while crossing his arms. He humphed and turned his head away from the Root member. Yamato rolled his eyes and looked at Shizune, "So... what happened? Where are Tsunade and the others?"

"It's a long story... Lady Tsunade and Sakura are safe. We're searching for survivors, and we split up to cover more ground. Kakashi was with us, but... he was bitten. He was going to deliver a letter to Sunagakure for reinforcements. And as for how this all started... two rogue Akatsuki members are behind it," Shizune explained, becoming saddened when Kakashi was mentioned. Naruto thought he saw Sai's eyes water, but it must have been a trick of the light.

"So Kakashi's dead..." Yamato said quietly as he hung his head in sadness. He clenched a fist as thoughts of vengeance filled his mind. He looked up and added, "Are the rogue Akatsuki members still in the village? They'll pay for this!"

"They're most likely still here. I think they get some sort of sick satisfaction watching the village fall apart. And Sai... since he's with you, I assume you've contacted Root?"

"Yes... Danzou's being his usual self. He's sent out a few men to investigate, and he claims he'll assist, but I have my doubts," Yamato said with bitterness.

"Um... Miss Shizune. Not to interrupt, but if you have that letter you mentioned, I can draw a messenger bird that can deliver it," Sai said.

"Really?" Shizune asked as her face lit up, "That's wonderful!"

"And that's where I'll have to stop you," an all-too-familiar voice said. The group, minus Naruto, began to look around to see where the speaker was.

"Look out!" Yamato called out to Shizune, who had her back turned from the man he had spotted on a nearby rooftop. Shizune leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding two katanas held by the rogue Akatsuki man known as Kenokami.

"Be careful! He's a jinchuuriki!" Shizune warned Sai and Yamato. Yamato gasped at the news, and Sai's eyes merely widened a bit.

"Well, you're spry," Kenokami said to Shizune with a cocky grin on his face as he took a fighting stance, the two katanas in hand.

_He left those swords behind when he departed for the first time... did he really head back there to pick them up?_ Naruto thought. When he heard Kenokami's voice, he became angered. As soon as he saw that cocky grin, Naruto's hatred began to boil inside of him. He thought of Anko, of Masami and Sakura's stepfather, and of Kakashi... this man was affiliated with the one that caused their deaths, and he showed no emotion towards them.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! YOU KILLED KAKASHI!" Naruto roared at Kenokami. Red chakra exploded out of Naruto, billowing like flames as it molded itself around Naruto and assumed a fox-like shape around him, a single tail thrashing about. This caused Kenokami to turn towards Naruto and grin even more.

_So he achieved the first tail just by seeing me? This will be interesting..._ Kenokami thought.

"Get back!" Yamato warned Sai and Shizune, who complied. They took a few cautious steps away from the two jinchuuriki.

"So? I don't care if we caused his death. He had it coming... all of you do," Kenokami said as he glared at Naruto.

Naruto stood there, staring at Kenokami with intense hatred. His teeth were bared, and he could feel them becoming sharper as his anger increased. This man pissed Naruto off more than Neji, more than Sasuke, more than Orochimaru... more than everyone else he hated combined. The marks on his cheeks turned thick and black, and his eyes became red and bestial. Another tail formed out of the red chakra, and Naruto let out a roar of anger. The roar created a shockwave that slammed into Kenokami and knocked him back a few feet. Yamato, seeing the shockwave coming, quickly body flickered to Sai, grabbed him, then body flickered to Shizune, and then finally body flickered the three to a nearby rooftop so they could observe safely.

"That was close..." Yamato said as he stared at Naruto with concern.

"What do we do?" Shizune asked with fear.

"We wait. Either Naruto will unlock more of the Kyuubi's power, and I'll have to intervene, or he stays at this level. If that's the case, then we wait until there's an opening for us to assist without getting in the way or risking any injuries from the fox's chakra," Yamato explained.

Beneath them, Naruto leaped at Kenokami, the red chakra around him forming a few arms that rushed towards the other jinchuuriki. Kenokami avoided the arms by sidestepping to the left, and then he used his swords to cut the hands off of the arms. Kenokami gasped with surprise as the arms simply reformed more hands, and he also noticed that his swords were glowing orange with heat. Just how hot _was_ the red chakra? The arms turned towards Kenokami and rushed at him once more. Kenokami maneuvered around the three arms that pecked at him in their attempt to grasp and burn him. Every time one got too close, Kenokami would cut it with one of his swords, giving him a bit of time to get away from the arm before it regenerated its hand. Kenokami was attempting to close in on Naruto, who was growling as he carefully watched Kenokami's progress.

_He's just testing me..._ Kenokami thought with vexation, _...that punk. I'll show him!_

Kenokami glanced about him quickly to see where the chakra arms were, and then he quickly darted around and cut all three of the hands off. He planted his swords in the ground, the heated blades easily sliding into the stone surface he was standing on, and he made a few hand seals. Air began to spin around his hands rapidly, creating a distorted effect around them, along with a constant whirring noise. Kenokami picked up his two blades, and the air expanded to cover the blades as well. The arms had now reformed, and they continued their pursuit of Kenokami. The blue-haired man once more cut the hands off, but this time, the air continued down the chakra arms and collided into Naruto. Naruto was knocked back a bit with a few deep cuts, but the fox's powers quickly healed the wounds.

Kenokami suddenly spun around and formed an X shape with his two swords. Yamato had made a few large roots burst from the ground in an attempt to skewer Kenokami by surprise, but he had failed. The roots rushed at Kenokami, but the air around the swords cut down the roots before they even reached him. Kenokami then turned around and cut down the two new chakra arms that had formed. Once more, the air followed the chakra towards its source, but Naruto leaped to the side to dodge it. He stood up in a hunched position and formed a Rasengan with one hand. The fox's chakra empowered the whirling ball, making it slightly larger and giving it a red-violet color. Naruto roared, sending out a shockwave. Kenokami swung both swords downward, sending out a blast of air that split the shockwave in two. The shockwave harmlessly passed by Kenokami, who charged through the clearing towards Naruto.

Naruto growled as he charged at Kenokami, thrusting the Rasengan at the hated man. Kenokami ducked beneath Naruto's arms and thrust both blades up at Naruto's stomach, but Kenokami was batted away by one of the tails. As Kenokami got up, his eyes widened as he saw the Rasengan being carried towards him by one of the chakra arms. Kenokami grunted loudly in pain as he was launched back by the powerful attack. He shakily stood up, a large hole in his chest. It was closing at a very slow rate. Kenokami grimaced as he felt his legs and arms get ensnared by roots. Yamato leaped down from the rooftop and looked at Naruto.

"We've got him, Naruto. Let me just repel the fox's chakra and then we can bring him to justice," he said.

"NO!" Naruto screamed, his voice distorted by the fox's chakra, "LET ME KILL HIM!"

_"Wolf..."_ Kenokami spoke mentally to his bijuu, _"Give me your chakra!"_

_**"You're not in any real danger..."**_ the bijuu in Kenokami replied. There was a pause, and he sighed, _**"...fine... I'll give you just a bit of my chakra..."**_

_"A bit is all I'll need..."_ Kenokami said as a grin spread across his face.

Yamato and Naruto both looked at Kenokami with surprise as a shroud of white chakra began emanating from Kenokami's body. The wound on his chest quickly healed, and Kenokami broke free of the roots by simply struggling against them for a bit. Kenokami grinned at the nearby Yamato, his teeth elongated and his eyes brighter, as he took his two swords and dashed towards Yamato. The air jutsu Kenokami had used earlier had been canceled when the Rasengan connected with him, but there was no doubt in Yamato's mind that this man was powerful without the jutsu activated. Kenokami swung the blades at Yamato. He was just too fast for Yamato to avoid in time...

The swords connected with a semisolid wall of ink that suddenly formed between Kenokami and Yamato. The blades slid into the wall and became stuck in the sticky chakra-based ink. Kenokami growled in anger and let go of the swords. He heard Naruto yell in anger, but he didn't expect for him to charge right through the wall of ink. Kenokami cursed under his breath and quickly formed around eight hand seals. The chakra of the bijuu enabled him to move quicker, so he was able to form the needed seals before Naruto reached him. Kenokami then thrust his palm at Naruto and clutched his head. The red chakra bit at his arm, burning it greatly, but Kenokami felt no pain as the white chakra around him healed the burns instantaneously. Naruto shuddered as he felt a strange force surge through him, and then he felt the fox's power quickly recede back inside of him.

_What? Where did he learn that technique?_ Yamato thought with amazement as he saw the sealing jutsu Kenokami used, _I don't know the limits of the skill, but it was certainly quicker than the sealing technique the First Hokage developed! Then again... I'm not as proficient as he was in using that technique..._

Kenokami, still clutching Naruto's head, hurled the jinchuuriki at a nearby wall. Sai appeared before Naruto and caught him. The momentum Naruto had was still enough to cause both of them to crash into the wall, but the damage was far less than it would have been normally. Shizune appeared behind Kenokami, finishing a series of hand seals. She opened her mouth, a noxious purple fog billowing out of it. Kenokami turned around and charged towards Shizune. Shizune smirked as Kenokami surely breathed in the poison gas, but her confidence quickly faded to fear when the quick-acting poison didn't kick in. Was he able to heal the effects of poison in this state, too? Before Kenokami could punch Shizune, wooden tendrils wrapped around his body and yanked him back.

Kenokami struggled against the wooden tendrils, but they were too strong for him to break out of. He glanced behind him to see that Yamato's arm had been transformed into wood. Kenokami's hands were far apart, and they were unable to be moved easily, meaning there was no way he could use jutsus or pull out the scroll in his gi that summoned his massive sword.

"Keep holding him!" Naruto shouted at Yamato as he walked in front of Kenokami, dusting off his clothes.

"But he may start forming tails!" Yamato warned Naruto.

"Then just seal him up, right now!" Naruto said.

Yamato nodded as his arm returned to normal. The wooden tendrils ensnaring Kenokami remained as only the large trunk connecting Yamato's arm to the makeshift entrapment broke off. Yamato extended his hand towards Kenokami, his palm pointed at him. Wooden pillars burst from the ground around Kenokami, who continued to struggle against his wooden restraints.

"He doesn't have the First Hokage's necklace to make this easier, but he _is_ only in his chakra shroud..." Yamato mumbled to himself as he began the sealing process. Kenokami roared in protest as his struggling increased. Yamato focused intently on sealing away his bijuu before he could form a tail. If that happened, his restraints would most likely fail...

Naruto, however, was confident that Yamato could pull the sealing off. He produced a shadow clone, which instantly assisted Naruto in forming a Rasengan. Instead of it vanishing as soon as the spinning orb of chakra was formed, it remained as Naruto poured even more chakra into the jutsu. The Rasengan swelled in size, and it required both Naruto and his shadow clone to wield. The pillars receded into the ground, revealing Kenokami without the white chakra around him. Naruto let out a battle cry as he charged towards the restrained jinchuuriki and slammed the Rasengan into him. Instead of letting the jutsu dissipate soon after contact, Naruto upheld the attack, letting the ball grind into Kenokami continuously. Kenokami yelled in pain as the sphere cracked his ribs and cut into his organs. All of the damage was being healed by the bijuu inside of him, but not at a near fast enough rate. The Rasengan's force was so great that it eventually destroyed the wood holding Kenokami in place, launching the jinchuuriki back several feet. The shadow clone vanished in smoke, and the Rasengan faded away, leaving a panting Naruto.

"Fuck you... you fucking kid..." Kenokami said with pain as he shakily stood up. He reached into his gi.

"DON'T LET HIM GET THE SCROLL OUT!" Naruto shouted. He knew the damage he did to the ex-Akatsuki man would be negated by his regeneration fairly soon, and having him summon his massive sword could easily turn the tides of the battle.

Shizune quickly acted. She darted forward and pulled a scalpel out of her robes. She channeled her chakra through the medical device, causing an ethereal blue blade to form over the scalpel. She stabbed the chakra sword into Kenokami's throat, twisted it so the blade was horizontal, and then drug it to the right until it was out of the wolf man's throat. Kenokami's eyes were full of shock as he fell to the ground.

"Nice one, Miss Shizune!" Sai complimented with a smile and a thumbs up.

"H-Hey! I dealt the major blow!" Naruto defensively stated.

"Don't let your guard down just yet... who knows if that attack even did anything..." Yamato said seriously, referring to Kenokami's regeneration powers. His arm transformed into a sharp wooden spike as he cautiously walked over to the body of the ex-Akatsuki man.

He briefly paused. Did he just see Kenokami's hand twitch? He waited for a bit, staring at the jinchuuriki for any signs of breathing or life. Content after a few seconds, he continued to approach him. Yamato's face changed to one of great fear when Kenokami quickly rose up, drawing out one of the wakizashis by his side. The short sword was thrust deeply into Yamato's chest, cracking a few ribs and missing his heart by a few inches. Yamato coughed up blood as he moved his arm to impale Kenokami, but before it reached the jinchuuriki, another wakizashi was stabbed into Yamato, this one slicing his heart slightly. Yamato's arm returned to normal as he fell down, his consciousness fleeting. Kenokami grinned at his kill. The man held that look that he loved so much when he "awoke" from his "death." He loved that look of shock and hopelessness that people held just before they died unexpectedly.

"NO!" Naruto and Shizune cried out simultaneously. Naruto growled and quickly formed another Rasengan while Sai drew a large lion-like beast that charged forward. Kenokami had little time to react before he was pinned down by the ink lion and clawed by it. Naruto was right behind it, and the lion faded right before it was struck by Naruto's Rasengan, which dug into Kenokami's upper chest. He cried out in pain as the chakra ball sent wracks of pain throughout his body once more.

_Damn it..._ he thought, _I've taken too much damage. This can spell trouble if I stay here..._

Kenokami kicked Naruto off of him and quickly dashed over to the two katanas he had dropped when they got stuck in Sai's ink wall. He picked them up and sheathed them quickly before turning to look at the fallen body of Yamato. He would have to retrieve his wakizashis later; he heard the angry cry of that Kyuubi kid again... he made a quick exhale of frustration as he leaped up onto the rooftops. Naruto was ready to chase him down.

"Naruto, stop!" Sai called out. Naruto did so as he turned to look at the Root member. He was showing genuine worry on his face. "We have to lend our chakra to Shizune! Yamato's life depends on it!"

Naruto looked up at the rooftops Kenokami fled to, and he clenched his fist tightly as he turned away from them and walked over to Yamato. That made the third time the hated man escaped from him, and Naruto was getting sick of it. But Yamato's life took priority.

And his condition was not good. He was on the ground, and blood covered his chest, including making a small pool around him. He was breathing painfully as his face held a look of strained pain. He had managed to stay awake despite his wounds. Shizune was kneeling by his side, her hands hovering over his wounds and glowing with chakra. She had removed the two wakizashis from his chest. Sai joined her side and placed his hands on hers. The chakra aura around her hands grew slightly in size as Sai poured his chakra into her healing efforts. Naruto did the same, and he watched Yamato's wounds with concern.

"It isn't working much! His heart was cut by the attack! I need more chakra!" Shizune cried as her eyes teared up.

Naruto closed his eyes and searched deep within his mind. There was only one way Yamato could be saved. He opened his eyes and was once more inside the chamber that held the Kyuubi.

"Fox... I need your chakra to heal Yamato! You better give me some of it!" Naruto said with determination at the large beast before him.

**"Oh? What's this? You want my chakra to **_**heal**_** someone? That's new,"** the Kyuubi said sardonically.

"Damn it, this is not the time!" Naruto yelled at the fox. His anger had already escalated sharply when Kenokami got away, and now the bijuu was really pushing it.

**"This is the only man in the village that can seal me away. Wouldn't it be beneficial for me if he died?"**

Naruto exploded with rage. "DAMN YOU! YOU DO AS I SAY! GIVE ME SOME OF YOUR FUCKING CHAKRA!"

**"And if I don't?"** the fox asked with a mocking grin.

"I'LL KILL MYSELF! IF I DIE, YOU DIE! I MAY BE THE HOST, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY END YOUR LIFE!" Naruto yelled.

**"And what will killing yourself accomplish? Another death to add to the list? Grief and suffering from all of your friends? Disappointing your parents' wishes? All to put me in my place, huh?"**

Naruto retained his hateful glare towards the tailed beast, but he said nothing. Naruto had heard the fox mention his parents. How much did this beast know, and why was it hiding this information from him?

The Kyuubi let out a bored sigh, **"Fine... whatever. Take your damn chakra. Just don't ever say I don't do anything nice for you..."**

The red chakra shroud formed around Naruto once more, but his features did not turn animalistic. The chakra was also stable and not flame-like. It flowed down Naruto's arms and into Shizune's hands. The red chakra worked exceptionally well. Yamato's wounds were closing.

"It's working!" Shizune exclaimed with relief. Yamato shakily stood up, clutching his chest. Sai and Naruto backed away to not crowd Yamato and Shizune as she stood up as well.

"Careful... your ribs are still fragile. And you almost died on us!" she said.

"He caught me off guard... I should have been more careful..." Yamato said weakly.

"Are you okay, Yamato?" Sai asked, the worry he expressed earlier now gone.

_Thank you..._ Naruto said quietly in his mind to the Kyuubi. The fox did not respond.

Shizune noticed Yamato's weak posture. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine... just a little exhausted and weak. I should be back to shape in a few hours. Just don't run into any Akatsuki during that time, and I'll be good to go," he said with a light smile.

"That's good..." Shizune said as she sighed in relief. She then turned to Sai.

"Now, before we were rudely interrupted, you said you could deliver the letter to Sunagakure?" she asked.

"Oh, yes. My ink beasts are semisolid, so they'll be able to carry things. No excess ink will seep on the letter, either," Sai explained as he unfurled his large scroll and began to draw a messenger bird. It flew off of the page and landed on Sai's shoulder. "Just tie it to his leg," he added.

Shizune pulled the letter out of her robes. She stared at it sadly. It brought back memories of Kakashi. She had always admired that man... she also had a big crush on him, but she was either too busy or too afraid to ask him out. And now she would never be able to... she wanted to remove those memories, and getting rid of the letter certainly would help. She tied it to the bird's leg, and it took off.

"Good... now we'll get reinforcements... I just hope they'll arrive in time..." she said absentmindedly as she watched the bird get smaller and smaller as it flew away.

"Let's not worry about that now... I'm sure whatever men they can afford will be sufficient enough. Let's continue searching for other survivors..." Yamato said.

Shizune nodded, and the four set off.

* * *

_This is too eerie... where is everybody?_ Sakura thought with unease as she looked around. They were walking through a normally populous area of town, but nobody, not even the walking dead, was around. The only noise they had heard besides the faint moans of the zombies elsewhere in the village was a scream in the distance that stopped. If Tsunade was scared or uneased, she certainly wasn't showing it. The Hokage had retained a determined and serious look ever since they split up with Naruto and Shizune.

"They must have cleared out this area of the village..." Tsunade said quietly, seemingly sensing Sakura's question.

Sakura hung her head sadly. This whole day so far had seemed unreal. She didn't think her mind had fully accepted what was happening yet... it couldn't, because it had to survive. And to survive, it had to shove away all of the screaming thoughts of pain and confusion. Although, one thought had been bugging her, and she was following the solution...

"Um... Lady Hokage?" Sakura asked.

"You need to lead a ninja village to be called a Kage," Tsunade said sharply with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"Oh... um... I'm... sorry..." Sakura said quietly as she turned her head away from Tsunade, unsure of what to say other than to apologize. She never thought how Tsunade would be feeling... she must be feeling horrible at the moment, knowing that many people of the village relied on her protection, and that she couldn't help them in their dire times of need.

"Don't apologize... you didn't do anything... I'm just really upset over this," Tsunade said before letting out a small, empty laugh, "What an understatement," she added.

Unsure of what to say to that, Sakura instead just asked her a question, "I've been wondering... why exactly did you want to split up? Your sole reasoning seemed... odd, with how you ignored all of our other justifications or arguments."

Tsunade made another small, empty laugh, but this one seemed mocking in a way, "So you blindly follow me without pressing why?"

"But... you're the Hokage!" Sakura exclaimed defensively without realizing what she had said.

Tsunade turned to look at her with a condescending glare, "Not anymore. That title was revoked when this became the Village of the Dead."

"I... I'm sorry..." Sakura whimpered as she felt her eyes begin to water.

Tsunade heavily sighed and looked away, "No... I should be the one that should be sorry. I shouldn't be taking out my stress on you. But you still won't like why I split us up."

Sakura rubbed her eyes to remove the tears that were forming, "What do you mean? You didn't split up so we could find survivors?"

"No. Think about it... I doubt we're the _only_ group of survivors in this village. Think about the other powerful ninja here. Do you honestly think that _every single one of them_ fell to this plague?" Tsunade stated. Before Sakura could reply, she continued, "So that powerful ninja would form a group, and it's likely we'd bump into each other in some way. Either they investigate what all of the dead are chasing, or they see the destruction as we fight our living enemies."

"Then... why did we split up?" Sakura asked with a bit of concern.

"I did us all a favor," Tsunade simply said.

"What do you mean, 'favor?'" Sakura asked with a bit of anger towards Tsunade.

"I couldn't bear it... if Shizune was bitten. Not even I can cure this plague, Sakura. So I removed myself from her. If she's still alive when we meet back up, then everything's fine, but... if she turns... I don't want to see that. Shizune probably feels the same way about me, and you probably feel the same about Naruto."

"What! That's... that's why...?" Sakura exclaimed in an outrage.

"Yep," Tsunade said carelessly as she continued walking, "and you're still gonna follow me, whether you still admire me or not. And think about it... if Naruto witnessed your death, it's a possibility that his rage could make the Kyuubi break out. We don't want _that_ adding to our problems."

"How... how could you be so unfeeling?" Sakura asked painfully as she walked after Tsunade without realizing it.

"Ino's dead," Tsunade bluntly said.

Sakura stopped in her tracks, "What? What do you..." she started, but then she realized what Tsunade meant.

"Exactly. I don't know if she's dead or not, but you didn't react as strongly as you would have if you directly witnessed her dying."

Sakura took a deep breath as she said nothing and kept following Tsunade with her head bowed down. After a bit, she decided to ask another thought that had been nagging at her.

"When exactly did you encounter these things?"

Tsunade sighed, "I don't want to talk about it. Now's not the time. Maybe later, if we all return safely. If Jiraiya ever figures out what's happening here, you can ask him once he shows up..."

"Who else?" Sakura asked, "Who else has been through this before? And where?"

"You wouldn't know where, and Jiraiya and I are the only two from the Leaf that are alive and would be sane right now," Tsunade said, "the others that were there have either died or retired as shinobi. And if they retired, they either died in the years that passed, or they died today trying to use ninja arts they haven't used for several years. And that's all I'm saying right now."

Sakura wanted to ask more, but she knew Tsunade meant what she said. But just what happened in the past? From what Tsunade said, it sounded like whatever happened involved the Sannin and more than one ninja village...

She heard Tsunade stop walking, so she instinctively stopped, too. She looked up to see Tsunade holding a hand up, signaling for Sakura to be quiet. Sakura opened up her ears, and she heard footsteps nearby. Tsunade pointed ahead of them. Whatever was making those footsteps was approaching their position.

"Don't worry, I'm human," a familiar voice announced as it walked onto the street they were on.

"Shino!" Sakura called out as the hooded man approached them.

"Sakura! Lady Hokage! So glad to see you alive and well!" Shino greeted them, "Do any of you know how this happened?" he suddenly asked with a serious tone.

"The abridged version is that two ex-Akatsuki are behind this, and they're still in the village. Naruto and Shizune are okay, but we split up to cover more ground. Kakashi... he died. We're looking for other survivors. I assume you're coming with?"

"I would be a fool not to go," Shino said.

Sakura sighed. If only Shino knew why Tsunade split up with Naruto and Shizune...

"What exactly happened to you, Shino?" Sakura asked.

"What happened to me? My father went mad and infected my entire clan," Shino said bluntly, as if it were nothing.

Tsunade and Sakura gasped. "W-What? That's terrible!" Sakura cried out.

"Indeed, it is terrible..." Shino said lowly. There was a hint of emotion in his voice that time, but it was still eerie how _well_ he was taking this. Or maybe he was simply burying all of his emotions so they wouldn't overwhelm him.

Sakura's thoughts quickly turned to the kunai that had just embedded itself in a wall next to them. It wasn't aimed at any of the three in particular; it was merely a signal. The three looked towards the direction of a kunai and saw a person in a thick black cloak with a hood that shadowed their face on a nearby roof. The person was not wearing Akatsuki garments anymore, but there was no doubt in Sakura's mind that this was the woman that started this whole catastrophe.

"She's one of the ex-Akatsuki!" Sakura exclaimed for Shino's benefit.

_A woman's behind this, then?_ Shino thought with mild interest. His analytical mind was getting the better of him at the moment, _Interesting. Statistically, it's not often that a kunoichi commits horrible acts like this..._

The cloaked woman leaped down from the rooftop and slowly began walking towards the three. What was her motive?

"So you're the one that created this? I'll show you no mercy!" Shino exclaimed with sudden anger as he extended his arms outward towards the woman. Thousands of the tiny Kikaichu insects emerged from the pores in his skin and rushed towards the woman. The bugs surrounded her and enclosed upon her. No sound was heard for a moment as the bugs held a humanoid shape, and then they suddenly flew back towards Shino. The cloaked woman was nowhere to be seen.

"She had to have used some jutsu to escape! Watch out!" Shino warned.

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura cried out. Tsunade gasped as she felt the presence of the cloaked woman behind her. She glanced down and saw a kunai dripping with a strange yellow liquid being held to her throat.

_She's incredibly fast..._ Tsunade thought, seeing that Shino and Sakura were a few feet in front of her, and that she saw the woman make no hand seals to escape, or even see or feel her pass by.

"Do you have any last words, Hokage?" the woman threatened.

"Oh, you're that confident you'll take me out, huh?" Tsunade asked with a smirk as she rose her right foot an inch or two and then slammed it on the ground, creating a large crater from the force of her chakra control. The woman lost her footing, allowing Tsunade to grab the arm in front of her throat and twist it about until she was holding the woman with her arm behind her back. A single finger was pointed at the back of her head.

"I don't think you realize just how powerful the Sannin are, girl," Tsunade said lowly, "for example, I could end your life right now. My chakra control would increase the force of my blows to the point where I could easily snap your neck by just flicking the back of your head.

"Then why don't you?" the woman asked without a hint of fear in her voice.

"Because I want information. And no doubt you're full of it," Tsunade said with a scowl.

"That would be true, but you would have to get me in a very dangerous predicament for me to tell you anything," the woman said with an eerie calmness.

"And this isn't dangerous _how?_" Tsunade asked with incredulous disbelief at this woman's confidence.

Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise as the woman suddenly... vanished into air! How was that possible? She didn't just disappear, either... Tsunade specifically saw her sink into the air somehow...

Tsunade grimaced as she felt the tip of a kunai press against her neck. The strange liquid was still on it.

"That's a neat trick you have there. Let me guess: based on the unpredictability of the Akatsuki, and the strangeness of them, I'm guessing you're some sort of ghost?" Tsunade said sarcastically. As long as she could use this woman's overconfidence to her advantage...

"No, I am very much alive," the woman replied. She glanced behind her to see what the other two ninja were doing. They were both carefully watching the current scenario. That was good... there would be no interference.

She suddenly yelped in shock as Tsunade swept her leg behind her and tripped up the woman. The movement she made caused the kunai against her neck to make a small cut, but she had been prepared for that. While the ex-Akatsuki woman was distracted, she made some hand seals so that the wound would be instantly healed upon its creation, and therefore none of the poison getting inside of her.

Tsunade stood up and turned around to face her attacker. She looked down upon the woman... her hood had fallen off. Tsunade's eyes became big and her mouth opened a bit in disbelief.

"LADY TSUNADE! LOOK OUT!" Sakura cried out. Tsunade snapped out of her shock and saw the woman thrusting the poisoned kunai at her neck. Tsunade quickly leaned her head to the left to avoid it as she grabbed the woman and used her momentum against her to throw her to the ground, but she vanished before she contacted it.

"Be careful! She's an Uchiha!" Tsunade warned. Sakura and Shino gasped as they heard the news. How could this be? All of the Uchihas except for Sasuke had been wiped out by Itachi!

"So my secret's out, huh? It doesn't matter..." Reiko said from a nearby rooftop, causing the three survivors to glance towards her. Sure enough, her eyes were a bright red, showing the four pupils, three of them tomoe-shaped, which were characteristic of the Sharingan. She formed a complex series of hand seals incredibly quickly, finishing the jutsu before the three beneath her could react to it. She thrust both of her hands forward, and a yellow gas billowed out of her hands and wafted over to the three survivors.

Tsunade gasped in fright as she turned towards Sakura and Shino, "WHATEVER YOU DO, DO _NOT_ BREATHE IN THAT GAS!" she cried out in urgency. Reiko's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Tsunade. How did she know about this jutsu? Reiko made a single hand seal, and the gas quickly faded.

"You know that jutsu? Well, that takes away its surprise factor..." Reiko said as she ran a gloved hand across her face to brush some of her black hair out of her face, "...you're seeking information, and I am, too. Why don't we share?"

"How do you know Madara?" Tsunade asked as she glared at Reiko. Sakura and Shino were unsure of what to do, so they defensively waited for either of the two to act.

Reiko's eyes widened as Tsunade asked that. Out of all of the questions, she never expected her "brother's" name to show up.

"How... what..." Reiko said, at a loss for words.

Tsunade smirked at her, "That's his jutsu you just used, isn't it? Also, I don't seem to recognize you. Judging by your appearance, you would have been a child by the time I left this village originally, but I don't recall any Uchiha girls around the age of ten at that time... what is your name, girl? And how did you escape the Uchiha Massacre?"

"I am Reiko Uchiha... the girl who went missing twenty-two years ago. What do you know of Madara?" Reiko demanded.

Tsunade made a mocking laugh, "Quite a bit, but I don't think I am going to tell you."

Reiko gritted her teeth as she glared at Tsunade with hatred. The two wristblades slid out of the devices around her wrists, dripping with the same yellow liquid that was on the kunai. She leaped down from the roof and quickly charged towards Tsunade.

_She's faster than I am, and now she's armed with weaponry... this isn't good,_ Tsunade thought grimly as she readied herself for Reiko's attack, but she didn't expect a large wall of Kikaichu insects to form in front of her. She was thankful of Shino's assistance, though, for the bugs quickly swarmed all over Reiko's body again. And once again, the woman simply disappeared.

Tsunade felt a sharp prick on her neck. She grimaced as she quickly turned around to smash Reiko's head in. She was quickly shoved away only to see a hooded figure vanish into air once more. Why did she put her hood back on? Tsunade pushed that thought aside as she closed her eyes and focused on the poison that no doubt entered her neck. It wasn't any poison that she knew of, if it even was a poison... Tsunade quickly healed the wound on her neck, but she couldn't heal the strange liquid on the blade! She exhaled in exasperation... she would have to deal with this later. Tsunade looked around for Reiko.

"Sakura! Behind you!" Tsunade cried out. Sakura heard this and quickly turned around to see Reiko rushing at her, ready to stab her with one of the wristblades. Sakura bobbed down and to the side to avoid the blades, and then she sprung up slightly and slammed her hand into Reiko's cloaked face. A sickening crack was heard. Reiko vanished in a puff of smoke as Sakura cried out in pain and cradled her left hand, the one she had punched Reiko with. Tsunade quickly ran over to Sakura to heal her.

_Every bone in her left hand is broken! What kind of clone was that?_ Tsunade thought as she swiftly healed Sakura's hand. She turned around to see where Reiko was now. As she predicted, she was heading towards Shino, who was looking away from her, his hands in his pockets. Tsunade didn't warn the Aburame boy, because he would be able to see her out of the corner of his eye, and, reading reports about his mission performance, he was luring Reiko into a trap.

"Gotcha," Shino said as he suddenly turned towards the ex-Akatsuki woman and removed his hands from his pockets. They were covered in the Kikaichu insects, and the number of the insects suddenly multiplied until they covered his arms. Shino extended both of his arms, and the bugs wrapped around Reiko's arms and began biting through her cloak, draining her chakra quickly. Reiko quickly vanished, as Shino expected, but he had placed a female insect on her, so he would be able to track her... that is, if the female insect had vanished with her... so her strange vanishing jutsu wasn't a type of body flicker... then what was it?

"She's not around here anymore..." Shino said, "I can't sense her chakra nearby, and she somehow vanished without my tracking insect staying with her."

"Let's keep an eye out for her, but we'll keep moving... she had to have retreated for some reason," Tsunade said. Sakura and Shino nodded. Tsunade began to walk, and they followed her.

When her back was turned, Tsunade's countenance changed to one holding great anxiety. _What was that poison?_ Tsunade thought, _I've never encountered anything like that... and since she fled... did she accomplish what she set out to do? She tried poisoning Sakura and Shino, but they seemed more like afterthoughts than active targets, with her leaving after failing to poison them... but is this even a poison? I'm not sensing anything different or wrong with my body other than the presence of that strange liquid..._

Tsunade decided to not worry about it. It wasn't taking effect, and she didn't want to worry anyone else by acting frightened. Perhaps it allowed Reiko to track her? That seemed to be the likely situation... she hoped.

* * *

Shikamaru briefly stopped running to see if the dead were still chasing him. He turned his head around, and sure enough, the thirty undead were still there in the distance, moaning and groaning. Granted, Shikamaru had made no effort to escape from them by taking side routes, but he was still a bit uneased by their tenacity. It was quite troublesome knowing you had to take convoluted pathways to throw them off.

"What a drag..." Shikamaru sighed as he looked forward to see the tall apartment where Kurenai lived in the distance. He was almost there, but what dwelled inside that building... he was not looking forward to it. But he _had_ to save her!

He sprinted forward and took the few forks in the road that led to the apartment. Luckily for him, there wasn't a traffic jam of undead people blocking his path, but there were a few loners that were easily out-maneuvered.

As he drew closer to the building, his mind began to think. What would he do if she wasn't safe? This wasn't exactly something that was under his control. And what if she _was_ safe? What would they do after? Escape the village? Look for survivors? He hadn't really thought of the possibilities... he had simply leaped into action so he could safe her.

_I guess I'll find out soon..._ Shikamaru thought grimly as he continued to run. He stopped as he finally arrived at the twenty-five-story building that loomed over him. Already, his outlook became rather grim as he noted the condition of the building. Most of the windows, if they were not shattered, had blood smears on them; or the curtains were askew, signifying struggle. The double doors that were the entrance to the apartment were wide open, and one of them was only attached by the bottom hinge. He took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for many possibilities as he stepped inside.

The lobby of the building was swathed in darkness, the only light source inside being from the open door and windows. There were no zombies visible or audible in the immediate area, so Shikamaru looked around for a light switch to see if the power was still working. He soon spotted one and flipped it on. The lights turned on. Shikamaru then turned them off. The rest of the floors would probably not be lit, since he suspected that the zombies arrived here fairly early in the morning. Therefore, it wouldn't be helpful to get accustomed to having lights on this floor when there wouldn't be any on the other floors.

Shikamaru sighed as he walked over to the stairway. He had to ascend sixteen flights to reach Kurenai's floor... and there was no telling how many zombies awaited him. He would have normally taken the elevator, but he didn't want to risk becoming stuck, since he had no way of knowing how secure the power in the building was. For all he knew, it could die at any moment.

Shikamaru would normally take more time planning out what he would do, but he had no time to waste. He cracked his knuckles, and then he reached into his flak jacket and produced Asuma's trench knives. He slipped on the weapons used by his deceased teacher, and he ran up the stairs.

As soon as he reached floor three, a zombie blocked his path to the fourth floor. Shikamaru mentally cursed. He wasn't that good at taijutsu, but he thought he would be able to pull this off. He swiped his foot at the zombie's knee, causing it to buckle. He then stabbed the blade of the trench knife into the zombie's head and quickly withdrew it. He then continued on without looking back on his kill.

As he ascended the floors of the building, he could hear the moans of the dead become louder and more frequent. He gritted his teeth as he continued to run up the flights of stairs. Kurenai _had_ to be alive! Even though Shikamaru was denying the possibility that she might be dead, he still braced himself for it...

At the fourteenth floor, a group of three zombies blocked his path. Shikamaru stopped running and quickly closed the door that led out into the hallways of the fourteenth floor. He didn't want any more zombies showing up. Shikamaru formed some hand seals and prayed that his shadow imitation jutsu would work on zombies. The stairway was dimly lit, but the zombies were close enough for his shadow to reach them. He felt a big smile involuntarily creep up on his face when he saw that the zombies assume the stance he was standing in.

_I don't see any way to kill them..._ Shikamaru thought grimly as he stared at the haunting visages of the three former people before him, _sure, I could just walk up and stab them at the expense of being hit rather forcefully, but I don't want to risk these knives getting stuck inside of their heads..._

Shikamaru gulped as he realized what he had to do. He took a deep breath and fearlessly walked forward, the zombies doing the same. He felt sweat running down his brow as he passed the zombies, his arms rubbing up against them. He then released his jutsu and quickly sprinted up the staircase, leaving the zombies behind him.

_I hope I don't have to do that again... that was nerve-wracking,_ Shikamaru thought as he continued up the stairs. Soon, he saw the door with the number "17" above it. Shikamaru took a deep breath and pushed the ajar door open as he stepped into the hallway.

_If I remember correctly, these hallways are primarily square-shaped, with rooms on both the outer and inner edge. There are two stairways at the west and east ends of this hall... I took the west stairway. So Kurenai's room... 17-26-A... I think it's on the north end,_ Shikamaru thought. He turned to his left and looked at the room numbers. They were the "A" rooms, and they were increasing, so Shikamaru walked down that hallway. He could hear the haggard sounds of the undead through the doors of the rooms that surrounded him. A drop of sweat fell down his face as he walked quietly. The last thing he needed was a crowd of undead zeroing in on him.

He turned the corner, and saw four zombies near the end of the north hallway. They weren't facing his way, so he swiftly walked over to the nearby door of Kurenai's room. He jiggled the door handle to see if the room was locked. It wasn't. Shikamaru bit his lip as he quietly swung the door open and entered, closing the door behind him.

"Kurenai?" he whispered, "Are you here? It's me, Shikamaru."

"Shikamaru?" he heard Kurenai whisper back. A great feeling of relief washed over him as he heard her voice, "Thank goodness someone's come to save me!"

He heard a nearby door crack open. He looked over to see Kurenai's head poking out of a closet. Shikamaru was about to say something, but Kurenai placed a finger to her lips. She then pointed. Shikamaru followed her finger to see the doorway to the adjacent room open. That room was bathed in darkness, but Shikamaru listened up and could hear the low, raspy breathing of a zombie in the other room.

"I'll kill it," he whispered to Kurenai as he walked over to the door, his hands clenched into fists and into a position where the blade of the trench knife would be the most effective. He peered into the adjacent room. He could see absolutely nothing through the darkness. The curtain in that room was completely shielding the windows- not even a single glistening ray of light was peeking through. He also couldn't hear any noises anymore except his own breathing and his heart pounding in his chest. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, and he listened up once more. Everything was silent except for Kurenai's breathing. Where was-

A man suddenly lunged from the darkness with an unholy roar. His hands grabbed Shikamaru's shoulders, and then he knocked the boy to the ground. Shikamaru grunted in pain as his head smacked against the floor. In his dizzied vision, he could see the man moving in to bite. He recovered from the immense fright he felt upon being suddenly attacked, and he tried to shove to man off of him. He cursed at his foolishness as he saw the trench knives around his knuckles, and he stabbed the man in the head. He fell limp, and Shikamaru pushed the body off of his as he stood up.

"Is everything safe?" Shikamaru quietly asked Kurenai as he looked at her. Her eyes were wide with fright, and she frantically shook her head. Shikamaru then heard the sounds that were scaring the woman he vowed to protect. There were strange noises heard either outside in the hallways or inside one or more of the other rooms on the floor- Shikamaru couldn't tell. He then saw Kurenai continue to shake her head.

"Not the noises! That man had a wife!" she quietly cried out. Shikamaru felt a sinking feeling in his chest as he quickly turned around to face the dark room once more. Instead of seeing the room, he saw a zombified woman lunging at him.

"Shit!" Shikamaru swore as he pushed the woman away from him. He took a few steps back and readied himself as the woman stumbled to regain her balance. She moaned loudly and lunged at Shikamaru once more. Shikamaru punched her in the face with the knuckles, knocking her back, and then he stabbed her in the head with the blade. The woman fell down, lifeless, and Shikamaru sighed in relief. Kurenai exited the closet she was hiding in and walked over to Shikamaru. Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair frazzled- she must have been very frightened. She closed her eyes as she smoothed out her hair with her hands.

"I hope that moan didn't draw more of them towards us..." Shikamaru said lowly. This caused Kurenai to smile.

"No, I'm pretty sure we're safe," she said.

"Huh? How do you know?" Shikamaru asked. He then turned towards the door as it was burst open. A familiar figure was in the doorway.

"Because I took care of them," Kiba said from atop Akamaru, who barked in confirmation.

* * *

Neji was panting in exhaustion. Protecting Hinata and Hanabi from these creatures was proving to be a far more formidable task than he had originally anticipated. The Hyuga clan had become something like the walking dead... they still moved, but they had no chakra flow, so the Gentle Fist fighting style was almost worthless. The only skills that were useful were the rotations and the empty palm technique, but those only knocked the walking dead back. They simply rose back up and continued approaching. Hinata and Hanabi were practically catatonic, since every Hyuga besides the three had become the cannibalistic dead. Neji could only imagine how they felt right now...

_I could use the mountain crusher technique... but it expends too much chakra..._ Neji grimly thought as he thrust his palm out into the belly of a nearby woman. She was knocked back, but three more seemed to take her place. He quickly poked at their arms, overloading them by sending out surges of chakra, and then he kicked the three back. He turned around and elbowed the zombified Hiashi in the face. Neji grimaced as he spun around once more, expelling a whirling dome of chakra that knocked the zombies back once more. He took heavy breaths as he looked around and saw that the three of them were still surrounded. His arms were aching, and he could feel fatigue creeping across the rest of his body. He drew closer to Hinata and Hanabi as he took a fighting stance once more.

"I will fight against these demons until the end..." he said sternly as his Byakugan gave him a vision of all of the undead Hyugas approaching him. Killing techniques aimed at the throat had no effect on them, but Neji thought he killed a few of them by using killing techniques that were aimed at the head. He decided to try that. He ran towards the zombies in front of him and quickly poked at their foreheads. They fell down, limp. Neji grinned with success. By overloading their brains, he could kill them! He turned around to see Hinata cowering from her zombified mother next to her.

_Shit!_ Neji mentally swore as he ran over to save Hinata, but he fell to the ground. He turned around to see one of the Hyuga zombies on the ground. He had overloaded that man's leg. The man drug himself closer to Neji's leg, eagerly moving to bite it. Neji kicked at the man's head, which seemed to do little. His Byakugan showed the zombies closing in on Hanabi and Hinata, along with the ones above him that were leaning down to bite him, as well.

_So I failed..._ Neji thought with defeat as he ceased struggling against the undead. He thought he heard a familiar voice yell a familiar phrase, but he decided that it was his ears playing tricks on him... until he was suddenly free. Surprised, he looked around to see the zombies around him knocked away and sprawled across the ground. He stood up, his Byakugan showing that Hinata and Hanabi were gone, but they had not vanished. Immense relief washed over him as he saw Hinata and Hanabi with Lee and Tenten. His team had showed up! In front of him, Guy stood atop his ninja turtle, which had presumably spun directly into the horde, scattering them about.

"All right! The new turtle-style dynamic entry is a success!" Guy triumphantly announced.

"Hooray Guy-sensei!" Lee called out.

"How did-" Neji began.

"Hold on. We need to clean up the scattered creatures, and Tenten will do that," Guy said. His turtle vanished in a puff of smoke, and Guy grabbed Neji and body flickered over to where the others were.

"Guy... Lee... Tenten?" Hinata asked, snapping out of her shocked stupor.

"It's okay, Hinata. You might want to look away. The same with your sister," Guy said calmly.

Tenten stepped into the clearing as the zombified Hyugas stood themselves up. She held a look of great determination as she reached behind her and pulled out the giant scroll she kept holstered to her back. She unfurled it in one flick of the wrist, and a large puff of smoke temporarily obscured her from vision. When it faded, almost a hundred weapons of all kinds lie scattered about her feet. She raised her arms, showing that every weapon had a string around it that was attached to one of her fingers. Tenten began swinging her arms about, the weapons following the movements of her arms. The zombified Hyugas were cut into pieces by the weapons. Their skin was ripped as blood, organs, bone, and sinew flew everywhere. Tenten continued her assault upon noting that even some of the mutilated Hyugas were still moving. Blood was splattered everywhere as the grass was stained a rusty red color from all of the blood. Soon nothing was left except a massive pool of blood and the minced remains of the zombies. The weapons disappeared in several puffs of smoke, and Tenten immediately ran towards a nearby bush to expel the contents of her stomach.

"Amazing..." Neji said, part of him sickened at how fascinated he was at that.

"Is... is everything okay?" Hanabi asked, her face turned away.

"Yes, but don't look," Guy said, but not fast enough to stop Hinata from turning around. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the massive bloodbath.

"W-W...What... wha... what..." she stammered as she began to cry. Neji walked over to his cousin and hugger her, letting her cry out her pain.

"This is happening all throughout the village, isn't it?" Neji asked his teammates while letting Hinata continue to cry on his shoulder.

"Unfortunately, yes..." Guy said grimly.

"The entire village?" Hanabi asked in disbelief. She was still facing the opposite way of the bloodbath.

"Yes. As soon as I found Lee and Tenten, we headed straight here to see if Neji, Hinata, and you were all right. It seems we arrived just in time," said Guy.

Tenten walked back over to the group. She wiped her mouth as saw Lee having an exuberant smile, which kind of creeped her out.

"Nice job, Tenten!" Lee exclaimed with a thumbs up. Tenten smiled, but she was concerned for Lee's mental health due to her partner's reaction to that horrible technique she just used. She didn't say anything to him, though. She reached down to her unfurled scroll and began to fold it back up. Once it was closed again, she placed it back on her back.

"This isn't a natural event. Someone created this plague. My Byakugan could see some strange substance substituting for the chakra of these people. For all intents and purposes, they were dead... but the mysterious jutsu was controlling their body from within, like a puppet. It spreads through bite... and you can only kill them by affecting the brain in some way..." Neji said.

"Yes... we had figured out all except the jutsu part... that just makes this even more troubling if someone caused this. We need to find Lady Tsunade and see what she has found out. I doubt she's still in the Administration Building, so it's time we searched the village," Guy said.

The group nodded. Hinata had stopped crying, and she had buried her emotions. Neji saw _something_ in his 359-degree vision, but it was soon gone. He could have sworn he just saw a cloaked person... he said nothing to the others as he deactivated his Byakugan and followed the group out of the Hyuga Clan grounds.

* * *

Jiraiya left the whorehouse, laughing, a bottle of alcohol in hand. His spirits had been rejuvenated by the services the place offered, and he felt wonderful!

"_Please_ come again!" a rather busty woman exclaimed from the door of the building as she waved goodbye to Jiraiya.

"Baby, for a wild time like that, I'd come back tomorrow if I could!" Jiraiya replied to the woman, causing her to blush and smile coyly. Normally prostitutes didn't like their clients that much, but if you had the... _experience_ that Jiraiya had, it was hard not to feel satisfied.

Jiraiya walked away from the whorehouse, taking the last swig of the bottle of sake. He threw it away in a nearby trash can, and stumbled over to his apartments. He was only buzzed, but he always found it fun to act absolutely smashed no matter how little alcohol he had. And then a messenger toad appeared in a puff of smoke to ruin his good spirits.

"What do you want?" he asked sourly as he comically scowled at the toad. Jiraiya's face soon became concerned when he saw the anxiety on the toad's face.

"It's... _real_ bad! You need to get to Konoha, _real fast!_ The village... overrun... _walking dead!_" the toad exclaimed in a rush. He then screamed in pain as he suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke. Was he broadcasting a message from Konoha? Nevertheless, Jiraiya had become deadly serious now. He body flickered out of the town and quickly leaped from tree to tree towards Konoha...


	7. Finding the Living

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 7:

"Kiba!" Shikamaru exclaimed as a big grin spread across his face, "You're safe!"

Kiba chuckled, "Yeah, fortunately, I made it. It's kind of hard to kick zombie ass when most of your fighting style relies on getting close, but we managed to adjust. Isn't that right, boy?" Kiba asked his pet as he patted the large dog on the head. Akamaru's tail wagged as he rubbed his head on Kiba's hand affectionately.

"Are you sure you took care of all of the monsters, Kiba?" Kurenai asked suspiciously as she raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips.

"All the ones on this floor," Kiba said defensively.

"Please don't tell me you made a ruckus on the way up here..." Shikamaru sighed. Kiba shot a comical glare at him.

"Of course not! I know well enough how these things... work," he said, his voice dropping as his words brought back memories of fleeing his clan. Shikamaru realized the look on Kiba's face and suddenly felt bad.

"It's okay... we've all suffered losses today..." Shikamaru said solemnly.

"Please... let's get out of here," Kurenai said sternly, "I want to make sure the rest of my team is safe... I want to see if there are others alive."

Kiba and Shikamaru nodded, and Akamaru barked in confirmation. The four exited the room and cautiously walked towards the staircases. Upon seeing no zombies nearby, they began walking down each flight of stairs quietly, making sure not to attract any more zombies to their position.

"Get ready... there were three of these creatures near the fourteenth floor..." Shikamaru warned. They soon encountered the small group Shikamaru had passed earlier, and they were quickly dispatched by kunai and shuriken. The group of survivors continued down the flights of stairs.

At the eighth floor, they heard a man scream in pain. This caused them all to stop in their tracks briefly. Akamaru growled at something as he sniffed the air.

"He's in the lobby! We need to hurry!" Kiba said with determination. Shikamaru and Kurenai nodded as they picked up their pace down the stairs. As they reached the beginning of the long stairway, Kurenai signaled for the other three to stay back.

"I think we're too late..." Kurenai whispered. They could hear quiet wet and smacking noises. The man had probably been attacked and was now being eaten. Kurenai cautiously approached the source of the noise. It was behind the receptionist's desk. She pulled a kunai out of her ninja tool pouch and peered over the desk.

The woman that was once the receptionist stopped chewing on the man's throat and looked up at Kurenai, a long strip of flesh dangling from her bloody maw. The woman's lips had been ripped off, exposing her gums and most of her other teeth. Kurenai gagged at the sight, and she closed her eyes and turned her head away as she tossed the kunai at the zombie woman's head. She then heard the man begin to make choked breaths. She opened one eye to see that the man's eyes had changed color to that soulless white, and she ended his life again with another kunai. Kurenai turned away from the desk in disgust.

"So... where are we going next?" Kiba asked.

"The Hyuga clan's section of the village. It's close enough to this apartment," answered Kurenai, "is that agreeable?"

"Fine with me..." Shikamaru said calmly.

"Yeah..." Kiba said somewhat absentmindedly.

"Okay then... we should remain quiet for now. We don't want to attract any of the dead," Kurenai advised. The other two nodded, and Kiba signaled for Akamaru to follow them. The four walked out of the apartment, only to stop in horror at what awaited them.

An enormous horde of about two hundred zombies were approaching their position, moaning loudly. They were closing in from every side, except for behind them, of course. The sight of the crowd made Shikamaru drop the kunai he was holding in shock. He shook his head and leaned down to pick it back up.

"Where the fuck did they come from?" Kiba swore as he stared at the mob of corpses shuffling towards their location. Akamaru growled at the large horde, and Kiba continued, "I mean, I noticed the noises were a bit louder outside, but I never imagined there were this many!"

"They must have followed me here..." Shikamaru said with grim realization.

"Should we go back in the apartment and look for another exit?" Kiba asked.

Kurenai shook her head, "No. There's probably just as much of them inside as there are here... but... what do we do?"

"Isn't it obvious? We have to fight them off in some way..." Shikamaru said grimly. He knew that his shadow jutsus wouldn't be of much help, and Kurenai's genjutsu would be ineffective. This would be a tough battle...

* * *

Kenokami was casually lounging on a sofa, idly gazing out of a large window before him. He was in their revised hideout: one of the many lookout towers in the village. The undead had eradicated everyone else in this tower, so it was free for the two rogue Akatsuki to inhabit. The view was quite nice, too: Kenokami could see the tiny walking corpses below spreading throughout the village.

_I hope Reiko's okay... she hasn't returned yet..._ Kenokami thought with a small sense of worry. He didn't doubt Reiko's power, but it seemed odd that she had not returned even when he had traveled all the way back to the site of his most recent battle to retrieve his swords.

And, just as he thought that, her scent of roses and lemons filled the room as she appeared in front of him using that weird teleportation technique.

"You know, you should give me some warning before doing that..." Kenokami said with a light grin, "What if I'm in a skittish mood? I wouldn't want to accidentally injure you."

"You wouldn't be quick enough to strike me," Reiko said curtly, "and I assume you failed your mission since you are here instead of out in the village."

"I... uh... yeah..." Kenokami said, caught off-guard by Reiko's temper. He lowered his head and continued, "The kid tapped into the Kyuubi's power, and there were three other strong ninja. I got outnumbered."

"Describe to me the three other ninja that was with the Uzumaki boy," Reiko said sternly.

"There was a lady in black... didn't do much during the fight, but she was quick and got me good in the neck by putting chakra around a scalpel. There was a pasty kid that didn't do much, but I think I saw him drawing things on scrolls, and he could make them come to life. Then there was a tough guy who could use wood and seal my bijuu's power away..." Kenokami explained.

Reiko moved a gloved hand up to her face shrouded by the hood of her cloak. She paced a bit as she thought of who the ninja Kenokami described might be.

"The first one is definitely Shizune, Tsunade's assistant," she said, "and the last one is absolutely the man known as Yamato, who fought Kakuzu. The second one doesn't sound familiar from the information my spies gathered..."

She continued to pace about the room, musing quietly to herself. Kenokami sat up and watched her walk about, and decided to speak up, "Um... so did you succeed?"

Reiko stopped moving and turned to face her partner. Even though her face was shadowed by the thick hood, Kenokami could see the impression of a smile form on her face.

"Another of our major problems has been disposed of. The great Copy Ninja has fallen, and soon the Hokage will, as well!" she exclaimed.

"Wait... so she's not dead?" Kenokami asked, confused by the wording she used.

"Not yet, but I poisoned her with the zombie jutsu. It may take longer to spread throughout the body as a liquid, but it's more subtle. She will be dead by tomorrow, and there is absolutely nothing she, nor anyone else, can do about it. Brother- Madara made sure that this jutsu could not be cured."

"Well, that's certainly good news then," Kenokami said with a grin, "because from what I can remember of old tales of the Sannin I heard back in Getsugakure, she sounded quite powerful."

"Indeed... the world's strongest woman..." Reiko said quietly to herself. She then began giggling quietly, which soon erupted into loud and maniacal laughter. She spread her arms out wide and arched her body back, her hood falling down to reveal a face full of manic glee. The laughter quickly died, and she straightened herself and looked at Kenokami, her eyes showing signs of lunacy.

"The world's strongest woman, the greatest medic alive, one of the Sannin... and I killed her! She will die, and I will have caused it! And Kakashi... the man that knew a thousand jutsus, the man known throughout the ninja world due to his Sharingan... I caused his end! It's so _invigorating_ to know that _I_ am responsible from wiping them from the earth!"

Kenokami was a bit unnerved by how Reiko was acting, but then he realized that her current rush was not unlike the feeling he often got in battle.

"Any other threats?" he asked, wondering what other powerful ninja where in this village.

"Yes... it seems another small band of survivors has formed. It consists of Might Guy and his team, the strongest taijutsu-based team in the village. Guy is perhaps the second strongest person in the village, behind Tsunade, and undoubtedly the most skilled in taijutsu. His team consists of a Hyuga, another taijutsu specialist, and a ninja tool specialist. The plague infected the entire Hyuga clan except for him and two others that were rescued. They were fighting off the entire clan, and the ninja tool specialist single-handedly wiped out the horde. While we have caused significant damage to the village, there are still dangers to us out there..."

"Like Otoshi..." Kenokami growled. This statement caught Reiko by surprise.

"Wait, what are you..." she began, but she then felt the blind man's strange chakra. He was in the village, and he was nearby. Her partner must have smelled Otoshi using the five-tailed beast's innate powers.

"I wasn't expecting Akatsuki to pick up on our betrayal so quickly..." Reiko said.

"Are we going to fight him?" Kenokami asked, feeling eager to do battle with the mysterious new member of Akatsuki to see his abilities.

"We have no choice. Normally I would leave him be because he is blind, but Akatsuki's members are full of surprises... and he could possibly sabotage this mission of ours. He needs to be disposed of."

Kenokami stood up and placed a hand on the hilt of one of his swords, "All right! I can't wait to get this fight started!"

* * *

A gust of wind passed by, echoing through the village that was seemingly void of life. Naruto, Shizune, Sai, and Yamato uneasily walked through an empty street, the sounds of the damned ever present about them. Several papers and other general possessions lay about the street as if they were cast away by their owners. The winds gently made these objects drift about, adding to the forlorn atmosphere of the empty street.

"I don't get it..." Shizune muttered with a hint of unease in her voice, "...where are the dead?"

It was a good question. They had only encountered a few small groups of the undead while searching for survivors when the general condition of the village suggested that there should be much, much more.

"Maybe there are other groups like us that aren't so fortunate right now..." Naruto replied lowly. He was picturing it in his head: a group of three-or-so plucky ninja who thought they could easily survive the outbreak suddenly losing all hope as a massive horde of the dead closed in...

Naruto shook away the unpleasant image from his mind as his ears picked up a denser collection of moans amongst the general ambient noises of the damned village.

"Hey, guys... do you hear that?" he asked the others, who stopped in place and carefully listened.

"Yeah... it sounds like a group of the dead nearby," Yamato mused to himself.

"I'll go check," Sai said as he body flickered away. He soon returned with the usual emotionless look on his face and announced, "There's a large group approaching some survivors near a tall apartment building nearby... I didn't get a close enough look at the survivors, but they're definitely in trouble."

"Let's go!" Naruto exclaimed as he took off towards the direction of the moans. The other three quickly followed him.

"Don't just take off without warning like that!" Shizune chastised Naruto, but the blonde boy ignored her and kept running. Soon, the group arrived at a large clearing in the village with a row of buildings that included the apartment to the right. Sure enough, there was a large mob of zombies closing in on a currently unseen group of survivors.

Yamato quickly formed some hand seals and placed his hands on the ground. Two walls of wood rose up so that they sandwiched a small section of the horde. The walls then slammed together, crushing the dead caught between them. A single zombie was only crushed halfway by the walls, and it still tried advancing towards the survivors despite half of its body being rendered completely useless.

Sai quickly unfurled a scroll and make a quick sketch of a large gorilla. The beast of ink sprang off of the paper and charged into the crowd, batting away several of the undead with its thick arms. This made an opening, and Shizune quickly darted into the opening.

"Quick, this way!" she commanded as she retreated out of the opening. She smiled as she caught glimpses of who the survivors were. It was a relief knowing that they were safe.

Naruto formed a shadow clone that assisted him in creating a Rasengan. He growled as he charged towards the horde of zombies. He poured more chakra into the spinning orb to increase its size, and he continued his charge. The orb tore into the undead and ripped apart their heads or torsos, depending on where the blue ball of energy connected. After Naruto made his first charge, Sai's ink gorilla turned around and ran into the now smaller horde and clapped its hands around the heads of any nearby zombies. Yamato made one hand seal, which modified the wooden walls to burst into thousands of sharp splinters that he directed into the heads of the remaining zombies. The horde had been eliminated, and Sai's ink gorilla dissipated.

Naruto walked back towards the now larger group, panting from the charge he had just made. It took way more chakra than he thought it would to make the Rasengan that large.

Kiba made an impressed whistle as he gazed back at the carnage that was minutes ago a threat. "We sure are lucky you guys showed up."

"It's so good to know you're all okay!" Shizune exclaimed.

"The same can be said on our end," Kurenai said with a smile.

"Nice work, all three of you," Shikamaru said with a grin, "you guys busted us out of a real jam there."

"It's our pleasure," Yamato said, "besides; we were looking for survivors anyway. What happened to you three?"

"They both came looking for me," Kurenai said, "and we were just about to head to the Hyuga grounds to see if Hinata and the other Hyugas were safe."

_Hinata..._ Naruto thought with worry as he heard her name. He then realized that he had no idea of the fate of several of his friends...

"My parents are both dead... I don't know about the rest of my clan," Shikamaru said quietly, "and Kiba's the only Inuzuka left..."

Akamaru barked in protest.

"And Akamaru," Shikamaru said as a small smile crept up on his lips. It was amazing how human that dog could act at times.

"We're sorry for your losses..." Naruto said lowly.

"Being sorry won't bring anybody back," Kurenai said sadly. She then spoke with more determination towards Shizune and Yamato, "What do you know about this? Where is Tsunade?"

"We know a lot..." Shizune said, "and Lady Tsunade is okay. She is with Sakura. We split up to cover more ground while searching for survivors, and we're to meet back up at the Administration Building by sundown. As for the whole situation... it's caused by two rogue Akatsuki members. We've fought one of them as a group. He's a jinchuuriki. The other is a woman, and likely the one that created this jutsu. Yamato, Sai, and I haven't fought her, but Naruto did earlier today with Sakura and Ka... Kakashi..." Shizune bowed her head and bit her lip as his name was brought up again.

The general shock from the information lasted for a bit before the last part registered in Kurenai's mind, "Wait... you mean..."

"Yeah... he's dead," Yamato said glumly, "but we sent out a letter to get reinforcements from the Sand Village."

Kurenai ran a hand through her hair, "We... we should just focus on rescuing other survivors right now. We can let this information sink in when we're safe and sound. The Hyuga grounds are nearby... let's go and see if they're safe."

Shizune and Yamato nodded, and Naruto, Sai, Shikamaru, and Kiba all made warm nods toward each other. Kiba mounted himself on Akamaru's back, and the eight survivors set off.

* * *

Sakura stealthily walked through the living room of the house, her eyes scanning the room for any signs of the dead. The house was a mess: furniture had been knocked down or moved about to make the whole house look like a child's careless doll house. A few patches of blood could be seen on the floor, along with some bloody smears on the wall. This didn't look good...

Yet, despite the condition of the house, there was nothing of note on the first floor. Sakura bit her lip in anticipation as she climbed the staircase to the second floor. To her immediate right was a closed door with blood on the doorknob. She cautiously approached it in anticipation... she raised a gloved hand and lightly tapped on the door...

A loud banging noise from past the door startled her. She realized that her involuntary yelp had attracted the residents of this home as a few moans from around the corner of this floor began. The banging against the door continued, and she heard frustrated growls from a girl. She closed her eyes as she rose a foot and kicked the door down. The force she applied to the door was significant enough to end the girl's unlife. She then turned her head and saw what she presumed to be the girl's parents shambling towards her.

"May you rest in peace," she solemnly said as she walked up to them, grabbed their heads, and smashed them together. She retched at the bloody mess in her hands, which she wiped against the wall. Sullen, she walked back down the stairs and out the door of the house.

"None alive in here," she called out in a defeated tone.

She walked up to Tsunade and stood next to her. The three of them had been searching nearby houses to see if there were any survivors hiding within. So far they had checked thirty-seven homes, and not a single living soul had been seen. Shino emerged from the thirty-eighth home and shook his head, signifying that there was nothing alive in that house.

Tsunade sighed in frustration, "Fuck it. The people who are hiding in their homes can die... we're wasting our time here."

"But... Lady Tsunade!" Sakura exclaimed in protest, "How can you be so callous?"

"It's noon. We've barely searched through the whole village, and already we have less than eight hours until sundown. What I'm saying is... this area is a lost cause. I heavily doubt anybody is alive here," she replied.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" a familiar voice full of machismo announced. The three looked towards the direction of the voice to see Guy, his team, Hinata, and Hanabi standing on a rooftop. Guy and Lee were striking dramatic poses.

"Stop goofing off and get down here," Tsunade sighed as if she didn't care at all that the six of them were safe, but Sakura could see the smile on her face.

The six of them jumped down from the rooftop and landed next to Tsunade's group.

"It's such a relief to know that you're all safe!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Indeed!" Guy exclaimed enthusiastically as he gave a thumbs up. He then glanced back towards his group, "See? I told you my skills of finderosity would lead us to the Hokage!"

"Way to go Guy-sensei!" Lee cheered. He appeared to be the only one in that group that believed Guy.

"Um..." Hinata spoke up with worry in her voice, "...where is Naruto?"

"We split up to cover more ground. We're to meet back at the Administration Building at sundown," Tsunade said.

"Do any of you know how this happened? I know it's caused by an evil jutsu," Neji said.

"We'll fill you in as we head to our next destination..." Tsunade said as she began walking. The others followed her.

* * *

"About damn time I arrived here..." Otoshi grumbled to himself as he emerged from the shadows cast by the gates of Konoha. As he stepped into the village, the prospect of just how hard it would be to locate Kenokami and The Necromancer dawned upon him.

"I hope they come and confront me..." he sighed. He did not look forward to stumbling about in a large village trying to find the two when he couldn't see anything. He could manage moving about normally, but it became quite difficult in cities... especially since this one was filled with the walking dead.

Otoshi turned his head as he heard several irregular footsteps approach him. The raspy breaths from the zombies escalated into hungry moans as they drew nearer to the blind man.

"What's this? This isn't how normal people act..." Otoshi said to himself. He took a whiff of the air and made a disgusted look, "...nor is it how they smell."

While Otoshi's idea of just walking into Konoha in broad daylight wearing Akatsuki garb wasn't a bright one, it would not pertain to him since the guards of the city were all likely dead.

"Well, I guess that's why the silent one was known as 'The Necromancer,'" Otoshi said as he unsheathed the katana at his right side. He couldn't sense any life coming from the approaching zombies. And judging from the ambience of the village, these creatures were widespread.

"At least I can have some fun while waiting for them to show up," Otoshi said with a grin as he ran towards the nearest zombie and delivered a deadly slash across its chest. He assumed it would die, but the zombie turned around and reached towards him. Otoshi leaped back.

_Odd... then again, they _are_ dead..._ he thought to himself. He charged towards the same zombie and this time cut its head off. The lifeless body fell to the ground as the head of the man he decapitated landed near his feet. Otoshi grinned upon discovering how to kill the creatures until he heard the head by his feet chomping its jaws as it futilely tried to bite his foot.

_Really? The heads still move?_ Otoshi thought with disbelief as he slammed his sword into the head by his feet. That finally killed it. By this time, the zombies that were approaching him had drawn rather close.

"All right! Bring it!" he exclaimed. He charged forward and cleaved off the top half of the nearest zombie's head. He then turned around and slammed his elbow into another zombie's face, making it stumble back. His sword was quickly stabbed into the skull through the eye socket and withdrawn. The other three zombies approaching were in a rather circular pattern, so Otoshi spun around, his sword cleanly bisecting their heads. He reached into his robes and pulled out a cloth, which he used to clean the blood off of his blade. He then spun the sword about in his hands and sheathed it. He placed the cloth back into his robe and moved some of his bangs out of his face. It was then he heard two sets of regular footsteps nearing his position. A smile spread across his face.

"Well, aren't you flashy," Kenokami said as he glared at the newest member of Akatsuki.

"Oh, hey! Kenokami, Necromancer! Thanks for walking out here. I _really_ didn't want to find you guys by myself," Otoshi said lightheartedly.

"Shut up, dog!" Reiko spat at Otoshi, "We both know you're here on Akatsuki's behalf!"

A puzzled expression crossed Otoshi's face when he heard Reiko speak, "The Necromancer's a woman?"

"It's Reiko. I never wanted that title," she said coldly.

"Well, you're in luck: I left Akatsuki, too! Maybe we can be good friends!" Otoshi exclaimed in a mocking matter.

"What? Stop lying!" Kenokami barked at the blind man.

"No joke. I just up and left them. Too bad I've decided to kill you both anyways."

"Why? Why would you just leave them? What are your motives?" Reiko asked as she cautiously eyed Otoshi.

"I volunteered to track down and eliminate both of you, but they wouldn't let me since I was new. So I bound them in a genjutsu and left. During my brief stay in that organization, I've always wanted to fight them upon hearing their powers... and I have the opportunity to fight two of them right now! And best of all, once Akatsuki breaks out of my genjutsu, they'll track _me_ down, too!"

"Seriously? _That_ is your motive?" Reiko asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I can't blame him," Kenokami said, "There's nothing like the thrill of fighting a powerful opponent."

"Well... I also have plans of my own," Otoshi said as if he was unsure of himself, "and I appreciate what you've done to this place. It's just that... I don't like the results. They sort of clash with what I was planning to do. At least there are other villages untouched by these dead things, but I'm going to have to kill you both to prevent this from spreading."

"Never! Our pain must be shared with the world!" Reiko indignantly exclaimed.

"And I'm not going to go down to a blind punk like you!" Kenokami growled as he unsheathed one of his katanas and charged towards Otoshi.

"Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I'm weak!" Otoshi yelled furiously as he unsheathed the katana on his right side faster than Kenokami could see. The two swords clashed together, sending a shower of sparks falling to the ground.

"You'll have to try harder than that," Otoshi hissed as he slammed his foot square in Kenokami's chest, winding the jinchuuriki as he was knocked back. Otoshi took a few steps forward and swung his sword downward, stopping a few inches from Kenokami's neck.

"Right there I could have killed you. You really must try harder," Otoshi said calmly as he ducked to avoid Kenokami's angry retaliation. He stuck out his leg and swept the jinchuuriki's legs out from under him, causing him to fall down. He then leaped back and turned slightly to block Reiko's sudden strike with her wristblades. He pushed Reiko's blades off of his and fell back to await their next moves.

_He's blind, but his reaction times are on par with my own, and I have the Sharingan!_ Reiko thought with disbelief as she stared at Otoshi, _And he's just toying with us!_

"Well, your spirit on stopping me seemed to fade quickly," Otoshi said with a smirk.

"SHUT UP!" Kenokami roared as he sprang to his feet and unsheathed another katana. He charged recklessly towards the blind man, who easily maneuvered around the jinchuuriki. Otoshi thrust his blade at the neck of his opponent, once more stopping inches from it.

"Kill number two," he said as he suddenly pulled his blade away and blocked an incoming stealthy strike from Reiko.

"How?" she asked. Otoshi ducked as Kenokami angrily turned around and swung his blade. Reiko had to leap back to avoid being cut down by the sword.

"Control your anger, Kenokami!" she exclaimed in a chastising tone. She gasped as Otoshi's blade was against her throat.

"There's one for you," he said in a mocking tone. Reiko gritted her teeth and slammed her boot on Otoshi's toes, causing him to howl in pain. She then sharply elbowed him in the chest. She wasn't afraid of Otoshi's blade causing any damage as he stumbled back. Just as she predicted, the blade simply hit the metal part of her Sun Village headband around her neck and slid off of it. She then rolled out of the way as she saw Kenokami heading towards him. Kenokami was holding two swords at once, and he swung both of them down with tremendous strength. Otoshi made a quick set of hand seals, and the shadows beneath him rose up as a defensive wall that blocked the attack.

_Shadows?_ Kenokami thought in shock as they suddenly receded back into the ground, causing him to lose his balance as the momentum of his swing suddenly returned. Otoshi swung his katana down at Kenokami's back, but he was batted away by a large lance made of fire. He quickly stood up after the jutsu had pushed him back. Other than a hole in his robe and a bit of singed skin, Reiko's attack did little to the blind man.

"Are you really blind? Your reaction times lead me to believe that you're hiding something..." Reiko said with suspicion. Otoshi was wearing a headband with a metal plate over his forehead, and only one set of eyes could see through that... the Hyuga clan's Byakugan. It seemed far-fetched, but what else could it be? Surely a blind man couldn't move like that...

"I assure you, I am blind," Otoshi said sternly, "and I assume your questions are to buy time for you to formulate a new strategy?"

"Maybe for her, but I know what I need to do," Kenokami said as he reached into his gi and pulled out his scroll. He unfurled it, causing his massive sword to be summoned into his hand. Otoshi frowned as the sword appeared.

"Oh my... that sword is big," he stated as Kenokami swung the blade in a large arc with a single hand. Otoshi flashed a grin as he jumped into the air at just the right time. He landed on the flat of the blade and quickly ran up it, delivering a sharp kick to Kenokami's head. As soon as he landed, he leaned down to avoid a large sphere of electricity launched towards him by Reiko.

"I don't think your little parlor trick will work," Otoshi said to Reiko. He then heard a mechanism fire, and he felt steel gripping him. He was suddenly dragged towards Reiko by what he assumed was a grappling device. He tried to break free of the steel claw's grip, but it was too tight. He felt a sharp pain enter his gut, and then he was released by the steel claw and kicked back. Reiko had stabbed him with her wristblade.

"You're dead, Otoshi," she announced with triumph, "my blade was coated with a powerful poison. You'll be dead within the minute."

"Or even before that!" Kenokami yelled as he swung down his massive blade in a vertical arc towards Otoshi. Otoshi quickly formed some hand seals, only to discover that his chakra system wasn't working correctly.

_Oh, shit!_ he thought as he quickly leaped away before he was crushed by the large hunk of steel Kenokami was wielding. He stumbled as he landed... he felt his body begin to lose control of itself as a sharp pain pierced through his head. He dropped his katana and he clutched his head, and then the sharp pain wracked through his entire body. He yelled in pain as he collapsed and spasmed for a brief moment before becoming still.

Reiko and Kenokami walked over to the fallen ex-Akatsuki man and inspected him.

"He's not breathing... he's dead," Reiko said with a triumphant grin.

Kenokami reached down to check Otoshi's pulse, and he gasped in surprise as Otoshi's arm tightly clutched his. The other arm grabbed the katana on the ground nearby, and Otoshi pulled himself up and thrust his katana deep into Kenokami's chest. He dragged the sword upwards before removing it, and he kicked the jinchuuriki away from him. He then quickly darted backward to avoid receiving another cut from Reiko's wristblades.

"How!" Reiko asked in shock. Her only response was a toothy grin from Otoshi. She then looked at the wound she inflicted on him only to notice that it had closed... what secrets did this man hold? And the eyes... she _had_ to know what was under his headband!

Kenokami struggled to stand as the large wound slowly closed. He unsummoned his huge blade, seeing its size as a disadvantage in this battle of speed. He reached down and picked up his two katanas that he placed on the ground earlier and ran towards the blind man with a surprising burst of speed. Otoshi, with surprising speed, dodged Kenokami's two slashes. With his free hand, he sharply hit Kenokami's elbows, causing his arms to dislocate. He then kneed the jinchuuriki sharply in the gut and pressed the tip of his blade against Kenokami's forehead.

"Three," he said as he kicked the jinchuuriki away once again. He smiled with self-confidence and said, "My, you two are such invigorating opponents! I haven't had a fight like this since... I haven't had a fight like this!"

Reiko said nothing to the egotistical man as she grabbed a fistful of the man's long hair and yanked him back. He struggled to break free, but Reiko simply made a cut on the side of his headband and released the blind man. His Sound Village headband fell to the ground with a metallic clang. Otoshi quickly covered his eyes with his free hand and cursed under his breath.

"Go on! Reveal your secret to us!" Reiko exclaimed.

"Fuck you!" Otoshi shouted indignantly at Reiko as he turned around in preparation of attacking Reiko. Kenokami was behind him, though, and he swung his two swords down at Otoshi, who was still covering his eyes with his free hand. Otoshi simply rose his sword up and connected with Kenokami's first blade. He pushed it, causing his arms to go off trajectory and his swords only to slightly scrape Otoshi's arm. He then dashed towards Reiko with fierce killing intent. He had been toying with them the entire fight, and Reiko had managed to push his button by removing his headband.

But she was ready. A blue orb crackling with arcs of electricity sat in her hand. She had observed Kakashi using this jutsu in their brief fight, and she knew of its power. Even though it had no hand seals, her Sharingan picked up the process used to create it. The Raikiri would surely incapacitate Otoshi. She thrust the Raikiri forward, and it sliced through Otoshi, her arm bursting through the other end of his body. His arms became limp, and she withdrew her arm from his body. He fell to the ground, face first. She turned over Otoshi's body to see that he was still alive- but barely. She glanced at the man's face with shock. Kenokami had walked over to investigate, and he was surprised at the man's face as well.

His eyes... they were unnatural. They were not the Byakugan that Reiko had suspected, but they were a sort of doujutsu that she had never even seen before, let alone heard about. The eyes had blood red sclerae, black irides, and bright red pupils. The eyes looked around in different directions from each other, but they didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular. Reiko felt very strange looking at the eyes, but she could tell that he was, indeed, blind. The extent of his blindness was not known, but the eyes were definitely unable to see them at this distance.

"Are... you happy?" he asked weakly with a smile as blood seeped from his mouth, "There you have it... my accursed eyes that I cannot see from, but..."

He weakly mouthed a few other words, but no sound fell from his lips. His body fell limp as he died with a smile on his face. She leaned down and checked his pulse with caution, but he did not spring back to life. There was no pulse. She stood back up and looked at his face. He was dead... but his eyes still moved.

"Let's get out of here... those eyes are creeping me out," she said. Kenokami nodded and sheathed his two katanas as the two walked back into the observation tower that they had made their hideout. Once they were at the top floor, Reiko glanced out of the window at Otoshi's body. Her eyes widened with bewilderment as she saw him shakily stand up. He made a few hand seals, and his shadow moved up his body and enveloped his wound, quickly healing it, and then it returned to its normal shape.

"Reiko, what do you see?" Kenokami asked.

"Otoshi! He's alive somehow and he healed his wounds!" she exclaimed.

"What!" Kenokami interjected with disbelief as he ran over to the windows to see. Sure enough, the blind man was standing up. He picked up his katana and sheathed it, and he picked up his cut headband. He untied the knot already present and ripped off a bit of cloth from his robes and tied it to make the headband's length whole again, and he tied it back so that the metal plate covered his eyes again.

He then looked up at Reiko and Kenokami and made a little wave as he wore a large, mocking grin on his face. How could he see them if he was blind? Was he able to sense them? Let alone, _how did he survive that attack?_ Many questions raced through their heads as they watched Otoshi casually stroll off to some other part of the village.

"Should we-" Kenokami began.

"No," Reiko said, "he's not heading here, and we need to recover our chakra and strength."

"But he might be weakened!" Kenokami complained.

"We don't know that... he's survived deadly poison and a powerful cutting jutsu. I think he might have regeneration powers similar to your own. The point is... we need to cautiously approach this threat before eliminating it."

Even though she sounded supportive of her own plan, one of her hands was clenched in a tight fist. This man was a threat to her plans!

* * *

Jiraiya was leaping through the trees as fast as he could towards Konoha. It had been an hour since he left, and if he kept traveling at this rate, he would arrive at Konoha at sundown. He didn't like that it would take so long to arrive at the village, but there was no way he could go faster. Any of the toads he could summon would cover more ground, but would move slower, resulting in about the same traveling speed.

_Damn it! I just wish I knew what this emergency was..._ he thought. No, that wasn't exactly correct... he _knew_ what the emergency was, but he didn't know how bad it was. Judging from the toad's tone of voice, it was disastrous. And the implications surrounding this crisis were all very bad...

He was snapped out of his thought as he saw sunlight reflect off of metal. He quickly planted his feet on the branch he was above and threw two kunai that collided with the two shuriken that were speeding his way. As soon as the metal tools crashed together, a large fireball suddenly appeared and rushed towards him. Jiraiya jumped out of the way and landed on the ground below. Of all of the times to be attacked...

He quickly shifted his body about as he scanned the entire area for signs of his assailant. He couldn't see the attacker, but he could definitely feel the dreadful killing intent resonating throughout the area. Whoever this person was, they either were very powerful or loathed his existence. Jiraiya suspected that the attacker held both qualities.

"Quit hiding. I can feel your bloodlust, so you obviously want to kill me. I'm in a hurry, so get out here so I can defeat you and continue on," Jiraiya said.

"Such arrogance coming from someone weaker than myself," spoke a deep voice as a cloaked man walked out into the clearing Jiraiya was in.

"With a comment like that, I'm starting to doubt your right to judge someone as being arrogant," Jiraiya responded as he cautiously eyed the cloaked man. While he may have sounded nonchalant, Jiraiya was quite anxious towards this mysterious man. As far as he could remember, only Hanzo and Orochimaru had ever called him weak... and Hanzo's comment came before Jiraiya had developed or learned most of the skills that enabled him to become famous worldwide.

"I know where you are heading," the mysterious figure said, ignoring Jiraiya's comment, "and it would not be wise to go there."

"Sorry, but I'm not going to turn back on my old village, especially after finding out what's happening there. You seem to know what's going on, but I don't think you're going to tell me anything," Jiraiya said sternly as he glared at the cloaked man.

There was a moment of silence as the two men continued staring at each other. It seemed that both of them were anticipating the other to strike first. And then the cloaked man suddenly vanished.

_He's fast!_ Jiraiya thought with alarm as he turned around and jumped out of the way of the cloaked man's attack. The man pulled back the sickle he was holding from the spot Jiraiya occupied moments ago. There was a chain on the sickle's handle that wrapped around his hand and receded into the sleeve of his cloak. The man let go of what Jiraiya presumed was a kusarigama and grabbed the chain as he began to spin the chain around. He hurled the sickle at Jiraiya, who leaned out of the way to dodge it. Jiraiya made a few hand seals and spat out some oil created by his chakra. The oil then ignited into a large fireball that rushed towards the cloaked man. He then gasped as he heard the chain by his feet begin to move. He rolled out of the way as the sickle flew by where his head was seconds ago, and he saw the sickle return to the hand of the cloaked man, who had dodged the jutsu.

"Aren't you going to show me how strong you are? Or are you all talk?" Jiraiya mocked the man in an attempt to coax him to use something other than the kusarigama.

"You have shown me nothing that would require me to use anything else," the man replied as the hand holding the kusarigama began to glow blue with chakra. The chakra extended and enveloped the sickle and the chain, which launched forward as if it were sentient. Jiraiya weaved out of the way and prepared a jutsu, but the sickle made a return strike at him, causing him to dodge it once more. The sickle then suddenly halted and made a beeline back towards him. Jiraiya managed to avoid most of it, but it managed to knick his arm a little.

"Really? Is this all one of the Sannin can accomplish? If so, I doubt you'll be able to save Konoha with such a pathetic output..." the mysterious figure taunted.

Jiraiya growled at the cloaked man's comment and decided to make him eat his words. As the sickle rushed towards him, Jiraiya simply caught the blade and yanked on it, causing the cloaked man to be dragged towards him. Jiraiya then thrust his palm into the cloaked man's chest and triggered the jutsu he prepared earlier, which caused a large amount of fire to burst from his hands. Jiraiya held on to the sickle so the man could not escape, but he felt it vanish and heard a puff of smoke that signified that it was unsummoned. Jiraiya assumed that the man had dodged, so he took this opportunity to form some more hand seals to prepare more jutsus to be activated.

Jiraiya heard another puff of smoke and was then thrown back by a powerful gust of wind that caused him to slam into a tree. Jiraiya gritted his teeth and shrugged off the pain. He was about to activate his latent jutsus in retaliation, but his eyes widened with shock as he saw what the cloaked man was wielding.

The man had summoned another weapon- in this case, a large gunbai fan. What was so striking about this fan was the symbol appearing on it: three tomoe in a triangular pattern.

"You... you are Madara Uchiha?" Jiraiya asked in astonishment. The man said nothing and charged forward, aiming to bludgeon Jiraiya with the large wooden fan.

_This is bad... if he _is_ Madara, I have to get out of here, and fast!_ Jiraiya thought as he triggered his latent jutsus. The ground behind Madara twisted and transformed into three spikes that shot towards him. The cloaked man planted his feet on the ground and jumped high up to avoid them and landed a few feet in front of Jiraiya.

_Gotcha!_ Jiraiya thought as he triggered his second jutsu, which caused the ground underneath the cloaked man's feet to turn into incredibly sticky mud. The cloaked man struggled for a bit before ceasing the useless battle to escape the mud.

"Well... it seems I underestimated you. You are the victor in this little fight, Jiraiya. Go... go to your damned village. See if you can salvage what is left," the man said.

"Damn you, Madara! What did you do to the village?" Jiraiya asked with anger.

"It was not I that caused this to the village. My knowledge of the situation is just the same as yours," the cloaked man replied, still not confirming if he was Madara or not.

Jiraiya simply glared at the mysterious man before continuing his advance towards Konoha. He knew better than to strike at the cloaked man while he was trapped- he was not aiming to kill his opponent, and striking him would most likely trigger a substitution to escape his trap. And if that man was actually Madara... then it was wise to trap and leave him like that. He would most likely escape eventually, but he was free of having to worry about him for now. Instead, his worries turned back towards the village...

Jiraiya picked up his pace. He prayed that the village would not be doomed when he arrived.

* * *

"We have returned, Lord Danzou," spoke one of the two masked men as they bowed down in front of the leader of Root, who was reading some documents. He raised his head and turned around to face his two servants.

"And what did you find? What is the current situation in the village?" Danzou asked.

"It... it is not good at all, sir," the other masked man said wearily, "not a single sector of the village is free of the dead. We didn't see a single living soul in our scan of the village, but we did see signs of conflict."

"Is that so..." Danzou mumbled as he stroked his chin in thought. He then looked towards the Root member that spoke first, "Tezaki, you are a sensor. Did you sense anything?"

"Yes, sir. There were a few groups of survivors scattered throughout the city, and quite a bit of small groups of lone survivors. But our orders were to scout out the city, so that is what we did, sir," the first masked man answered.

"Are Yamato and Sai alive? The Hokage? The Kyuubi brat?"

"All alive, sir."

"I see... well, your next mission is to safely acquire a few of these walking corpses and bring them back to me," Danzou said, much to the surprise of the two servants.

"Sir? Are you sure, sir?" the second masked man asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I gave you an order, Ota. Follow it," Danzou said harshly.

"Sir... if I may ask... why?" the first man, Tezaki, asked.

"I want to see what these creatures are capable of. The old reports don't have enough detail. I think these creatures could be useful tools, and I want to study how exactly they work..." Danzou said.

"How many, sir?" the second man, Ota, asked, sounding like he had more confidence in Danzou's orders.

"Hmm..." Danzou muttered. A pause followed as he thought of the ideal amount he desired, "Ten should be sufficient. Do be careful in restraining them. I would prefer that number stay ten and not accidentally increase to eleven or twelve."

"S-sir?" Tezaki asked.

"Yes, Tezaki?" Danzou replied with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"Should we rescue any survivors that I might sense?"

"No. Yamato and Sai are doing that with the Hokage. Your orders stand. You may depart now."

"Yes, my lord!" the two servants shouted as they vanished. Danzou sighed and turned back to the documents he was reading earlier.

"Madara... what could have possibly given you the idea to create these monsters?" he muttered to himself as he continued studying the documents.


	8. Ghosts from the Past

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 8:

It had been an hour since their confrontation with Otoshi. Kenokami and Reiko had spent this hour resting to rejuvenate their bodies and their chakra. Other than that, little had been done besides small talk and observing the destruction of the village. No new powerful Konoha ninja had been spotted, the two separate groups were not visible in any way from this tower, and there were no signs of their presence visible in the form of powerful ninja techniques. Otoshi had not been sighted as well, but Reiko could sense him and the two groups. Everything was calm for now, but something was bothering her...

It was a strange, foreboding feeling in the air, similar to when she sensed Otoshi a few hours ago... but this feeling was much darker. It, too, was heading towards the village. What could possibly be the source of this dark feeling?

"Hey... is something wrong?" Kenokami asked as he noticed Reiko's anxious expression.

Reiko didn't hear her partner, as she was too focused on the growing sense of dread surrounding that presence. There was something about it that felt all too familiar to her. She gasped aloud when she suddenly felt the sensation sharply escalate. It was closer now, much closer!

"Reiko?" Kenokami asked with a bit of worry.

He was still ignored by Reiko, who suddenly walked over to the window that faced the gates of Konoha. Somehow, the person causing this feeling had moved several miles in an instant, and they were just outside of Konoha! Reiko felt her body shake in fear as she stared at the gates of Konoha with great consternation...

Kenokami walked over to Reiko and glanced out the window, and then back to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, but he would once again receive no response.

She saw a cloaked figure stroll into the village. The figure's presence was too familiar... she saw the figure's head shift, and she could tell that the person was staring directly at her. As this happened, a huge spike of killing intent flooded inside of her body. She shuddered and cried aloud as she felt tears roll down her eyes.

"Reiko!" Kenokami shouted, but he could feel the killing intent, too. He glanced outside and saw a cloaked figure standing there... he was the source of the feeling. He looked back at Reiko and saw that the panic and fright on her face had turned into fierce determination, though tears were still falling from her eyes.

"It's him..." she breathed, "...he's here..."

She then sprinted down the nearby stairs without warning. Kenokami called after her, but he knew that she would not head back. He gritted his teeth and ran down the stairs as well. He knew that she was moving outside of the tower to fight that cloaked man. He had a good guess as to who the cloaked man was... he remembered Reiko telling him of her past and of her plans for the village. She wanted to lure that Madara person here by using his own jutsu, and judging by her reactions to the cloaked person's appearance...

While Kenokami was still descending the many stairways of the tower, Reiko was now outside. She was walking slowly towards the cloak man, who did not move. The aura of killing intent resonating from the man was thick, and every muscle in her body was screaming to turn and run, but her will overpowered that feeling. She paused a few yards away from him.

"You... you're Madara, aren't you?" she sharply hissed at the cloaked figure. She could see that his boots and the bottom of his cloak were caked in dry mud. Did this person recently fight someone proficient with earth jutsus?

"It has been a while... hasn't it, 'sister?'" the cloaked figure spoke with a deep and sinister voice as he reached up and removed his hood. The face underneath was a bit pale, but handsome and stern. The man's hair that fell just past his shoulders was a dark black, and it was slightly spiky and messy. The most notable feature of the man was his bright red Sharingan eyes. The eyes of her hated enemy pierced through her fortitude, but she remained strong and persevered. Somehow, his appearance looked exactly the same as it did twenty years ago! This didn't surprise her that much... Madara had been around before the forming of the very village they were standing in, and he still looked young twenty years ago.

"I see you have grown into a very beautiful woman, 'sister,'" he said with a warm smile, but his voice was anything but warm, for he said the word "sister" in a stabbing, malicious tone.

Reiko tightly clenched her fist as she felt her rage boil inside of her. This man was responsible for ruining her entire life. She channeled all of her negative emotions, all of her hatred, into the next jutsu she would use. She extended her right arm, and a glowing flame-like sphere of bright chakra quickly formed and hovered a bit above her palm. The flame-like design of the orb became more prominent as it transformed into what seemed to be a miniature star composed of chakra. The ball then began to crackle with electricity, and the air around the two combatants began to spin about as the winds spiraled around the sphere of chakra, focusing themselves into a visible form around the ball of chakra. Kenokami had exited the building at this time, but he stopped as he saw that Reiko was about to confront the cloaked man, who had now removed his hood. The very air was thick from the power of the jutsu in Reiko's hands, and the man before her didn't even seem frightened!

"This... THIS IS MY STRONGEST JUTSU! PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE MIGHT OF MY KUSHINADA TECHNIQUE!" she screamed as she hurled the powerful jutsu of three elements at Madara, who made no effort to dodge it at all. The Kushinada exploded with immense force upon collision with Madara, uplifting great amounts of the earth beneath his feet. Reiko waited for the dust to clear to see the fate of Madara... she would be surprised if he was still alive after that attack...

The dust cleared, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Pathetic... _that_ was your strongest technique? Look what it did to me! Nothing!" Madara gloated at a horrified Reiko. It was true... there wasn't a single wound on him, but his Sharingan eyes had changed shape. The head of the tomoes was now a black ring, and then tails of the tomoes were longer and thicker, and they connected the three tomoes in a continuous circle. Three thick black bars also extended out from the midpoints between the three rings. Was this Madara's Mangekyo? Had he used a Mangekyo technique to avoid the attack?

And suddenly Madara was before her. Before she could gasp, he thrust his index finger forward into her stomach. The seemingly harmless attack had immense force that threw her back several feet. She coughed as she shakily stood up. She was in disbelief... her strongest attack did nothing to him, and here she was being winded by a mere poke! She felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks. Even after all of this time preparing for vengeance... she was still weak.

"Oh, don't be sad, Reiko," Madara said with mock pity as he saw that Reiko was now crying, "I applaud your admirable effort with that ninjutsu you used. Using three elements all at once is very impressive, especially with no hand seals... and I'm sure you noted my Sharingan changed. I'll admit it: I had to use one of my Mangekyo jutsus to escape it."

So her theory was correct... although she had no idea why he had told her this. Thinking back, even under his kind charade twenty years ago, Madara had a fondness for explaining things, especially feats and techniques that he used. She was now standing, and she wearily waited for Madara's next move. She was now on the defensive, since her strongest offense did nothing. She saw Kenokami walk beside her. He had his two katanas in his hands.

"What are you doing? Stay back!" she commanded.

"I refuse to. You need help here, Reiko..." Kenokami said sternly as he glared at Madara.

"If you have abandoned Akatsuki, then why do you still wear their rings?" Madara asked when he noticed that both Kenokami and Reiko were wearing the rings that formerly belonged to Kakuzu and Sajin, respectively... although there was an incredibly high probability that Kakuzu had killed Sajin long ago.

"Because... wait... how do you know of Akatsuki? How do you know we left it?" Reiko asked.

"Because I founded Akatsuki," Madara said with a smug grin, "and I currently have a sleeper agent as one of their members."

"You didn't find Akatsuki! I know of its history in Amegakure, and you're not Pain!" Reiko exclaimed.

"Pain? That's what he calls himself now? And maybe I didn't form Akatsuki originally, but I was the cause of its rebirth. I thought of using the tailed beasts in some way, but Pain thought of how to utilize them. The process went too slow for me, so I left. But, as I said, I have a sleeper agent in their ranks."

"So then why are you here?" Kenokami asked fiercely, even though he knew that Reiko had likely lured him here by unleashing his own jutsu. He thought that asking Madara himself would yield more answers.

"I don't see what this has to do with you, but I came here to teach her a lesson," Madara stated. This caught both of them off guard.

"What... what do you mean?" Reiko asked with a bit of fear in her voice.

"I have been tracking your development, Reiko, ever since you were born. You had so much potential, and you certainly lived up to it. So I was interested when you joined my organization... especially when you left it. By that point, I had plenty of information on you thanks to my sleeper agent. And when I felt you use my weakest zombie jutsu... I just had to come here. You see, I don't like my title being tarnished."

"What are you talking about?" Reiko asked. The fact that Madara mentioned that something as devastating as this jutsu was his weakest zombie jutsu worried her, but she had no time to worry about that now.

"'The Necromancer.' That was the title you adopted, correct?" Madara asked, his face cold and stoic.

"I was assigned that title. I didn't want it; Akatsuki just started calling me that!" Reiko protested.

"But yet you still went by it," Madara said. Reiko gritted her teeth. Just who was the sleeper agent in Akatsuki? He had to have been one of the members with the rings, and not just a mere grunt... but who? She shrugged off the thought. It was irrelevant at this point.

"And the fact that _you_ went by 'The Necromancer' is simply laughable," Madara continued, his mouth forming a dark grin, "that title was given to me long ago for my ability to raise the dead to learn any information they might hold. Of course, over time, I channeled that ability into plenty of offensive uses... but you, Reiko... you do not deserve that title! You, who can only use my _weakest_ zombie jutsu, is not worthy of the title belonging to the man that can control life and death itself!" Madara was now in a frenzy; his eyes were wide and his countenance enraged.

"That's all? Just because I took your title?" Reiko asked in disbelief.

"No, of course not..." Madara said in a much calmer tone, but his face was still holding the enraged expression. He then suddenly bellowed, "YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT KONOHA IS _MINE_ TO DESTROY!"

Madara then made two hand seals, and an immense wall of fire rushed at his two opponents, who both leaped out of the way. His intention was not to hit them, but to distance them from each other, and that is exactly what happened. And he knew exactly what to use against Reiko. He began a complicated set of hand seals, some of them being ones that Reiko had never seen before.

"Don't bother; I made sure the Sharingan cannot copy this jutsu... not that you could use it anyway. But this should show you my power! The souls of the dead are puppets that sway to my whims!" Madara boasted as he finished the jutsu. Black energy snaked out of Madara's hands and coalesced into two black orbs that fell to the ground. They changed shaped once more into two spinning rings that now flanked Madara. Two formless auras of different colors rose from the ground in both of the rings, and the auras soon assumed a humanoid shape. The one on the left was gray in color and more masculine in appearance, and the one on the right was lavender in color more feminine in shape. The glowing auras then quickly seemed to grow skin, clothing, and hair. The black energy around their feet then rose up and entered their bodies through their nostrils.

Reiko couldn't help but feel that the two people Madara created were familiar in some way. The man had neck length dark brown hair and slightly visible creases beneath his eyes, with more visible creases under the corners of his mouth. He was wearing a black robe and gray pants. The woman had somewhat long black hair and she was wearing common housewife clothing. Both of them looked alive to the untrained eye, but Reiko could see that they were not breathing. Plus, their eyes were the same lifeless white color as that of the zombies.

"No doubt you're getting a sense of familiarity from them?" Madara asked with a mocking grin, "But you can't identify them?"

"Who are they?" Reiko demanded with indignation as she scowled at Madara.

"Well, I can't blame you for not recognizing them. You _were_ only three the last time you saw them," he said with a devilish grin.

Everything suddenly clicked in Reiko's mind. The two people before her... they had aged significantly compared to how they were in her earliest memories... but they were her parents!

"You... YOU BASTARD!" she shrieked at Madara, who only continued to wear that mocking grin.

"Oh, believe me, this hurts me as much as it hurts you," Madara said in a tone that made it apparent that he did not care, "using my own son and his dear wife against you just tears me apart."

"LIAR!" she screeched, "YOU WERE EXILED BEFORE MY FATHER WAS EVEN BORN!"

"I don't really care," Madara said in a sardonic manner. He then turned his back to Reiko and waved an arm in her direction, "dispose of her, my pawns. I have some things to investigate in this village."

The man, Fugaku Uchiha, and the woman, Mikoto Uchiha, rushed at Reiko. Kenokami roared and charged towards Madara.

"Really? You're trying to attack me?" Madara asked as he turned around. His hand was coated in fire, and he thrust it into Kenokami's chest, causing a small explosion to result that knocked him back. The burns caused by the jutsu quickly healed, but by the time Kenokami stood himself up, Madara had disappeared.

"Damn it!" he swore as he turned around to see how Reiko was faring. She was struggling against Fugaku, currently using her wristblades to deflect what appeared to be a katana created by the strange black energy that empowered the two people Madara brought back. Mikoto was in the back, forming some hand seals. She finished them before Kenokami could move towards them, and a large amount of water appeared from the air and rushed at Reiko. Fugaku body flickered out of the way, and the water seemed to hit Reiko, but she had vanished.

She appeared from the air directly behind Mikoto and placed a wristblade against her throat. Reiko was about to slit her own mother's throat, but then she heard her begin to sob. She hesitated.

"You were my first child... my darling daughter," she cried, "and I lost you when you were three! Do you know how wounded I was by that?"

Reiko's arm was suddenly grabbed by the hands of her father, and she was pulled away from Mikoto.

"You little bitch! How _dare_ you try to kill your mother! You little fucking whore! Do you have _any_ idea how much we have suffered because of you?" he asked indignantly as he thrust the blade of black energy deep into Reiko. She coughed up blood and slumped over.

"Make her pay! Make her feel how we suffered!" Mikoto cried out as she ran over and healed Reiko's wound, but the blade was still inside of her. Fugaku grinned with inhuman cruelty as he raised one of his legs and stomped down on the part of the blade sticking out of her. The blade inside of her was thrust upward by the downward force, causing her to cry out in great pain. The wound was healed once more by Mikoto. How long were they going to continue this torture?

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" Kenokami roared as Fugaku was batted away with a swing of the jinchuuriki's arm. He swung one of his katanas at Mikoto's neck, severing her head from her body.

"Thank you..." Reiko weakly said as she braced herself. She placed a hand around the blade of black energy and pulled it out of her body. She cried in pain as it was removed, and she used a healing jutsu of her own to close the wound. She then rolled out of the way as three darts of wind struck the location where she was moments ago.

Mikoto was standing up, but her head was still on the ground! Reiko was disgusted at this, but it removed the human factor the phantom disguising as her mother had. Reiko formed a few hand seals and placed a hand around her mouth. She blew out a quick jet of flame that quickly enveloped Mikoto. The phantom could do nothing as the flames quickly reduced her entire body to ash. Kenokami, taking a similar cue, used a wind jutsu that cut Fugaku into several pieces. Those pieces also turned into ash.

He turned to look at Reiko. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes..." Reiko said weakly as she stared at the ground. She certainly didn't feel okay. All of the years of preparation felt like wasted time to her. Madara was more powerful than she expected. Kenokami seemed to recognize what Reiko was thinking.

"Don't worry about Madara... he's pissed me off, which means he'll die by my hands," Kenokami said. Reiko looked up at him with a smile as she shook her head.

"But you're weaker than I am. You saw what my strongest jutsu did to him..." she said sadly.

"I have the five-tailed beast inside of me. You haven't witnessed what I am capable of yet," he boasted. He paused for a bit before adding, "If we work together, we can beat him."

He extended an arm towards Reiko. She grabbed it, and he helped her up. She was still a bit weak, so he offered her his shoulder to lean on. She accepted it, and he started to walk her back to the tower. She began to stumble, so Kenokami picked her up and carried her instead.

"Why... why are you so protective of me?" she asked quietly. She had never been treated like this by anyone.

"Because..." Kenokami hesitated and blushed. He took a deep breath, "...because I love you. Ever since you showed me your face and shared with me your pain, I've felt protective towards you. I want to be with you, and I will be your shield that protects you and your sword that will grind your enemies to dust!"

"I... I'm not sure what to say," Reiko said with a small smile and a blush as she rested her head on Kenokami's chest. He was very warm and comfortable, and she could hear his heart beat in his chest. Before she knew it, she could feel the exhaustion from the battles creep up on her.

"Kenokami?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you..." she mumbled as she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep. Kenokami smiled and carried her up the many flights of stairs in the tower. Once at the top floor, he laid her gently on a couch and took a seat next to her. He gently stroked her hair until he, too, drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Otoshi was currently walking throughout the village, whistling a little tune. He walked slowly and cautiously, for he was now in the less open areas of the village. His sword was unsheathed and pointed towards the ground, and he constantly moved his arm so that the sword made wide arcs around his front and his sides. This was to see how close he was to a wall or building. Even though he was whistling a tune, his ears were carefully listening around him for any signs of the walking corpses.

_And there's one right now... what persistent little insects,_ he thought with anger as he heard the uneven steps draw closer and the raspy breaths grow louder. Otoshi simply raised his sword and made a quick cut through the neck of the approaching undead. The body and its head fell to the ground separately, and Otoshi simply started whistling again and continued on his way. He started to doubt that there were any other living people in this village.

Wait... were his ears deceiving him? He stopped whistling and paused his movement. Sure enough, he heard people talking.

"...I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. There were signs of _some_ survivor activity," he heard a lazy voice say.

"But the whole place was devoid of any of those creatures..." another male said.

"There were trace amounts of living chakra there," a woman said, "I couldn't identify who, but at least _somebody_ made it out of the Hyuga clan grounds."

"Well... wait! We haven't checked this building!" another woman spoke.

A grin appeared on Otoshi's face. Judging by the rhythm of the footsteps, he guessed that there were seven people and some sort of large animal accompanying them. He approached the group.

Said group just exited a building. As they had predicted, they had found no survivors inside the house. They stopped and stared as they saw a strange blindfolded man in Akatsuki garb simply standing there as they left the house. Such an occurrence was probably one of the last things they expected to see, so the group was a bit stupefied- especially upon the Akatsuki man's response.

Otoshi made a warm smile and a small wave, "Hello, living ones," he said, greeting them calmly.

"He's from Akatsuki!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed at the strange blind man, as if nobody else could identify that fact.

"And the last horse crosses the finish line," he said with a smirk, "but you're a bit wrong. Don't make hasty assumptions."

"Then get to the point," Shizune said coldly, "we're all prepared to strike you down where you stand, so you better start speaking."

"Whoa... tough crowd," Otoshi said, the smile fading from his face, "Those two must have really pissed you off, eh?"

"You can say that," Naruto growled as he scowled at the blind man. What the hell did he want?

"Are you with them?" Yamato asked.

"No."

"Then you're with Akatsuki?"

"Probably not."

"What do you mean, 'probably not?'" Naruto growled as he reached into his tool pouch and produced a few shuriken, "Either you are or you aren't! And from what I can see, you probably _are_ since you're wearing those robes!"

"Can one of you shut this kid up?" Otoshi asked as he pointed at Naruto. That comment caused the shuriken to be flung in his direction. Otoshi leaned out of the way of one of them and quickly raised his katana to deflect the other.

"Are all citizens of Konoha violent people? I finally found some people who can talk, but I guess everyone here is just ready to kill everyone else..." Otoshi said seriously. At least, he appeared serious until he flashed a mocking grin most likely directed at Naruto.

"Damn you, stop pissing me off!" Naruto yelled as he glared at Otoshi. He didn't like this man at all. He was rude, arrogant, and that mocking, disrespectful tone in his voice _really_ pissed him off.

"Naruto! Control yourself!" Yamato boomed. Naruto reluctantly turned his head away from Otoshi.

"Finally the owner keeps his dog under control," Otoshi said.

Before Naruto could interject, Yamato spoke with a stern and threatening tone, "I suggest you tell us what you're doing here... _now_."

"Oooooooo, _scary._ Well, if you must know, I'm just looking around for a while until I get bored. Then it's back to fight the two that started this mess," he said.

"Are you even loyal to Akatsuki anymore?" Shikamaru inquired. This man's behavior was quite odd, and he guessed that he was just doing as he pleased.

"Bright man," Otoshi said, "Yes, I've left them. In the middle of a meeting, too! Of course, I gave myself a head start..."

"Wait, you're luring them here?" Kiba asked with shock and anger.

"Well, they would have sent out a team to dispatch of the two traitors, but now that there's a third (me), they're going to send out _all_ of their members! It will be very exciting! So, now that we're on the same side here..."

"That was never said, nor was it even implied," Kurenai said coldly.

"Really? Shucks. I guess it's hard to please people sometimes."

"You have no idea how to communicate with people, do you?" Yamato sighed, "Two things you have failed to do so far are tell us your name, and show us what's hiding under that headband."

"Otoshi... and there's nothing of note under my headband. I'm just blind, that's all. Now trust me."

"For us to even _consider_ trusting you, the headband has to come off," Shizune said.

"No," Otoshi bluntly said.

"Damn it, LISTEN TO HER!" Naruto yelled as he charged forward and grabbed at Otoshi's headband. Otoshi seized Naruto's wrist and twisted it sharply, causing him to cry out.

"Does someone have a leash for him? And maybe a muzzle, too. He's going to draw in all of the 'friendly' people of this village at this rate," Otoshi said.

"Get out of here," Sai said coldly.

"Pardon?" Otoshi asked.

"Finally, something I can agree with!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly as he freed his arm from Otoshi's grip. He formed a hasty, weaker Rasengan and thrust it at Otoshi's chest. He hit nothing, and the unexpectedness of that caused him to fall over. The Rasengan faded, and he quickly turned around to see Otoshi smirking at him.

While Naruto did not see how he evaded the attack, the others did. Somehow, he had traveled through his shadow and emerged out of Naruto's shadow!

"You have five seconds to explain yourself," Yamato ordered.

Otoshi sighed and shook his head, "All of you are just annoying at this point. You're all better off dead," he said maliciously as he suddenly swung his katana at Naruto. Naruto didn't expect this, and he was very thankful when a few roots rose up and restrained Otoshi's arm. Naruto stood up and scampered back over to this others, and Shizune quickly healed his wrist. Otoshi broke himself free of the roots binding his arm, and he faced the eight survivors. They could not see his eyes, but they knew that his gaze was cold and threatening.

"I guess you're right for not trusting me. I have always been a free spirit. And with these violent tendencies of mine..." he said as he quickly formed hand seals. His shadow suddenly spread and extended forward. Spikes shot out of the shadow towards the group, but they all leaped out of the way.

_How does he control his shadow so well?_ Shikamaru thought. He had witnessed the man travel into his own shadow to avoid Naruto's Rasengan earlier, and now he was using his shadow in ways that not even his father could do.

Otoshi could sense the hostility around him. He didn't think this through, and now he was in a battle with many people... and he certainly didn't feel like exerting himself. He moved his arms up to his headband, but they weren't obeying him.

Shikamaru had trapped Otoshi in his Shadow Imitation technique. Otoshi seemed to recognize what was happening to him fairly quickly.

"What a fun little jutsu," he said with a child-like grin, which quickly faded, "but I'm not going to be a sitting duck."

Three of Shizune's poisoned needles had just been fired from the device around her arm, and Otoshi apparently realized this. He broke out of Shikamaru's jutsu and ducked. The needles sailed over his head, and he rushed at Shizune to take her out of the fight. As expected, one of them intervened with one of their techniques, so he rolled out of the way and jumped away from all eight of them.

"He's taking off his headband!" Yamato exclaimed. He just _knew_ that those eyes were covered up for a reason other than blindness, but before he could even prevent Otoshi from removing it by using some sort of wood jutsu, the headband was off.

"This is my chance! Sight genjutsu is my specialty!" Kurenai exclaimed as she locked eyes with Otoshi, but her expression became blank and her arms fell limply at her sides as she locked gazes with the blind man. Before the others could even react to this, they became locked in the same entranced state as their eyes made contact with his. Otoshi chuckled and walked up to them.

His unnaturally colored eyes aimlessly looked about independent of each other as he approached.

"How intuitive of you to know that my eyes were dangerous, but there's nothing you can do now," he said coldly to Yamato as he stroked the nearby Kurenai's cheek.

"The Ryuukugan..." Otoshi said to nobody in particular, "The eyes that grant control at the cost of vision!"

He tied his headband around his eyes again and simply walked away from the eight enthralled survivors. He had no concern for them anymore. They wouldn't be locked in that state forever; they were simply awaiting a command from Otoshi. Since he had not given them one, they would snap out of the entranced state soon enough. Fortunately for them, there were no zombies nearby to happen across an easy meal.

_Yes... this village will give me much entertainment..._ Otoshi thought as he faded into the shadows...

* * *

"Sir Kazekage!" a man announced as he entered Gaara's office. Gaara looked up from the papers he was working on to see that a falcon made of- was it ink?- was perched on the man's arm. The bird sprung from the man's arm and flew over to the Kazekage, evaporating into chakra as soon as it was above his desk. A letter stamped with a red Leaf symbol fell from where the bird once was.

"You are dismissed," Gaara said to the man, who saluted and left the room. Gaara picked up the letter with concern. Why would Konoha use a chakra-based messenger bird over an actual one, let alone completely ignore video communications? He almost moved towards the small monitor in his office to try and contact Konoha, but he stopped. The answers could very well be in his hands. He quickly opened the envelope and unfurled the piece of paper within. Worried eyes began to fly across the letter.

_Gaara, this is Kakashi. I have no time for formalities: this is a dire emergency. This will sound fake, but I assure you that it is a terror that is both real and spreading as I write this. A virulent plague is spreading throughout the village that is causing the dead to walk and attack the living. The plague seems to have an absolute chance of killing you, and when you die, your body raises as the dead. The dead are not intelligent, thank the gods, but they cannot feel pain and do not hesitate to attack. Just one bite from them is enough to spread the disease. I do not know how many of these creatures are in the village, nor do I know how many living people there are- but I do know how it started._

_Early this morning, two Akatsuki members broke into our village. Somehow they bypassed the barrier around our village by locating the hidden location where the Barrier Team operates. They have also seemed to cut all electronic communications. They started this plague by using a terrible jutsu. I do not know why they started this plague, since they have deserted Akatsuki. I assume they hold nihilistic anger towards the world, but I'm not so sure. I've had the "privilege" of fighting both of them. One of them is known as Kenokami, formerly from the Moon. He only seemed to use kenjutsu, but he is definitely quick and strong. What is worse is that he is a jinchuuriki... I do not know what beast is sealed in him, since I'm not familiar with the Moon, but it lets him heal practically any wound he receives. As for his partner... she is a deadly cloaked woman. I have not seen her face, nor do I know her name, but I do know that she is very quick and powerful. I believe that she is the mastermind behind the attack, since she used a few complex jutsus I have never seen before, such as a clone that sprouts spikes and a teleportation jutsu. She knows a _lot_ about our village and its people, as she successfully identified not only me (what a hard task), but Naruto (still not hard) and Sakura (that takes some research) as well. They also possess the rings of the deceased Akatsuki members Kakuzu and Hidan... both our their bodies were in our custody._

_Right now it is 9:27 A.M. I am in the Administration Building with Naruto, Sakura, Shizune, and Tsunade- all five of us are safe. We are up against a dangerous threat and urgently request reinforcements._

And then, in different, fancier writing beneath Kakashi's message:

_This is Tsunade. Kakashi isn't lying... if he was, I would punch him in the gut. Anyone who knows me knows that you don't want that to happen. Please send reinforcements immediately! I don't know how many people are alive, but we're about to find out. Wish us luck._

That message was followed by the official stamp of the Hokage, showing that the letter was completely legit. Gaara anxiously glanced over at the clock on the wall, which read 1 P.M. He was unsure of what to make of this letter... it was definitely real, but for such an attack to go unnoticed was baffling. He was definitely concerned for the Leaf, but he was unsure of what to do, since his mind still doubted that the contents of the letter were actually happening. He placed the letter down and bit his lip as he thought of what actions to take.

"I need to know for myself it is true..." Gaara said to himself. He rolled his chair over to the small video monitor at the left end of his large desk. He sighed at the state of the monitor- it was practically a piece of junk, but it was all Sunagakure could afford. He looked at the keypad below the monitor and pressed a few buttons. He waited for a bit, and then someone appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Kazekage," spoke an overweight man with squinty eyes and a small pointy moustache and goatee, "What do you-"

"Moshu," Gaara interrupted the man, "I require your assistance."

The man frowned, "Gaara, I do not appreciate you being so disrespectful to the daimyo of your country..."

Gaara said nothing, and simply held up the letter to the screen. The wind daimyo leaned closer to the screen to read the letter. He did not question Gaara, because he could tell by the Kazekage's reactions that something very bad had occurred. Moshu's skin paled and his face became visibly disturbed as he read the letter.

"Oh my... this... this is not good..." Moshu said lowly.

"I want to speak with the Fire Daimyo. I want to know for sure if this is happening," Gaara said.

"Right... give me a minute. I shall contact him and explain the circumstances," Moshu said. The screen on the monitor then became blank. Gaara impatiently drummed his fingers on his desk as he waited for Moshu to get the Fire Daimyo on the line. After a good five minutes, the screen returned, but with a different person on it: a much thinner and older man with a wrinkly face. He was wearing an elaborate headdress over his bald head. His countenance showed concern and elements of being distraught.

"I don't know, Kazekage," spoke the Fire Daimyo before Gaara could say anything, "Indeed, I cannot contact anybody in Konoha... but I am not sure what to make of the tale described in that message. Maybe it's as not as bad as they think? Regardless, I am in an important meeting right now... I will order for a few men to investigate the village, but it is all I can do."

"You need to do more than that," Gaara said sternly, "This is likely more deadly than you think. Your entire country is at risk! If things are as bad as they are in the letter, then most of your military force is gone!"

"I... I know... but..." the Fire Daimyo said as he fidgeted about uncomfortably, "...I'm sorry. I must go."

The video transmission cut out briefly, only to be replaced by Moshu once more.

"Did Isamu assist in any way?" he asked.

"No," Gaara said with disgust, "He's more concerned about his meetings than his country and his people."

"So I assume you are going to go assist Konoha?"

"Yes... to the best of my ability. It will have to be quality over quantity in this case, since most of my men are out on missions," Gaara said. He then looked to the side, "I also want to speak with the other Kages over this matter."

"Are you sure?" Moshu asked with mild bewilderment, "Didn't they ignore your proposition to ally against Akatsuki before?"

"Those were messages sent via birds. This will be a direct video conference. You have to help me, Moshu... if Konoha fails to stop this plague, it might continue to spread, and then the entire continent will be threatened."

"Very well..." Moshu said with a sigh. Once again, the screen became blank. Gaara slouched back in his chair, expecting another long wait, but he was caught off guard when a new video feed began just as he began to slouch. The screen was divided into three horizontal bars, each with a different man on them. Gaara knew _of_ the other Kages, but this was the first time he had actually seen them.

The man on the top, Gaara assumed, had to be the Mizukage, or at least what the village considered the Mizukage to be. He looked old enough to fit the part. The man was completely bald with several liver spots on his head, and he was incredibly wrinkly. Gaara could see the man's hunched posture and shaking arms. This, undoubtedly, was Taro Terumi, the Village Ruler of the Mist. He was the younger brother of the Second Mizukage, and he acted as a powerful advisor. When the Second Mizukage died in the First Shinobi World War, he assumed power, but never officially took the Mizukage position. For all intents and purposes, though, he was the Mizukage, and was often referred to as such. Throughout most of the Mist's history he has been ruling the village this way, except for when he had been overthrown by rebels that forcefully took the Mizukage position. Despite being thrown out of power, Taro would eventually return and kill his usurpers. That is how the Third and Fourth Mizukages died. Even though he looked ancient and decrepit, Gaara could tell that this man was still very powerful.

The man on the bottom bar was definitely the Tsuchikage; his head barely poked above his desk, and the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was known for his small stature. He seemed to notice this, so he stood up on his chair, making his head and upper torso fully visible. His head was bald, but he had some white hair on the side of his head and a small ponytail on the back of his head. He had a prominent moustache and beard, large eyebrows, and a big, bulbous nose.

The man in the middle, by default, had to have been the Raikage, known only be the mysterious epithet A. He was a tall and muscular dark-skinned man, and he had slicked back platinum blonde hair with an accompanying small moustache and beard. His face held a few wrinkles, and he had a very stern look on his face.

Gaara felt a bit of pressure as the three powerful men stared at him. It was at this point that the fact that he was the youngest Kage in history dawned upon him. He would have to make a good impression.

"Gentlemen," Gaara said seriously, "something very serious is currently happening in Konoha."

"I was wondering why that hag Tsunade wasn't in this little chit-chat here," Onoki said brashly, "what, did their jinchuuriki punk kid get taken from them?"

"Let the Kazekage speak," A said condescendingly towards Onoki. The Tsuchikage rolled his eyes and kept quiet. Gaara did not like that man already.

"I have just received this letter... I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, but the contents of the letter are genuine. Since me reciting it ad verbatim is not enough, I will hold it up so you can see the handwriting and the official Hokage seal," Gaara said as he held the letter up to the screen once more.

Almost immediately after showing the letters to the other Kages, the Tsuchikage laughed heartily.

"Why are you laughing?" Gaara asked with rage in his voice.

"Boy, do you not know of the history of the Leaf and the Rock? We have always been enemies at worst, and on shaky terms at best! This is wonderful news! Perhaps finally we can become the powerhouse that we once were," Onoki said with vigor.

"Onoki," A said with a scolding tone, "I don't think now is the time for past relations to interfere. They _need_ help."

"Ha! Konoha, needing help! You three can assist them if you like, but I'm not going to. Goodbye," Onoki rudely said as he left the conference. Gaara clenched his fist tightly and gritted his teeth at the Tsuchikage's blatant disrespect.

"Don't worry... he's always been like that..." A said with a sigh, "Mizukage, are you done reading the letter?" The old man nodded, and Gaara placed the letter on his desk.

"So... can any of you assist in any way? Who knows how disastrous this could end up being if we don't get this under control," Gaara said.

There was a moment of silence as the other two Kages shifted about uncomfortably. Gaara was appalled. Were they actually going to decline assisting Konoha?

"I'm sorry," A said, breaking the silence, "but if you knew of our country's terrain, you would know that it would take far too long for our men to reach Konoha. And I can't provide any men, either... most of them are on important missions."

"And you, Mizukage?" Gaara asked with anger towards the old man, "What is your excuse for not helping a village in need?"

"If you're going to act childish like that," A said with stern disapproval, "then our meeting is over."

The Raikage disappeared from the screen as he left the conference, leaving just the image of the Mizukage. He mouthed a few words as he thought about what to say, and then he spoke.

"I am sorry, Kazekage," he said slowly, his voice weak and wheezy, "but the sea would take a week or two to cross. I am unable to help, but I wish I could..."

"You can too help!" Gaara exclaimed indignantly, "Who cares how long it takes! As long as-"

"You are wrong," Taro said, interrupting Gaara. His voice had taken on a more grave tone, "Time is of the essence here. If I were to send my men out on our fastest ships, we would still arrive too late. I know what is happening, and it is a terrible, terrible thing. You _must_ act with the utmost swiftness, young Kazekage! If the plague is young, there is still a chance that Konoha can be saved. If things become hopeless... fall back and get a hold of me. If Konoha falls, then everyone needs to band together to stop this horrid disease. You have my blessings, Kazekage... now, if you excuse me, I must tend to my sick daughter. Mei needs my help..."

The screen then became blank as the Mizukage ended the video conference. Gaara sighed and turned off the monitor. It seemed that Konoha would only be receiving help from Sunagakure after all... but the Mizukage spoke as if this terrible event had happened before. He decided to stop thinking about things and act. He stood up from his chair and walked towards the door of his office. He would not be able to gather up the majority of the ninja, since they were on missions, but that didn't matter... nearly all of the most powerful ninja of Sunagakure were in the village at the moment. That would be all he needed.

* * *

Pain burst into the Akatsuki meeting room, accompanied by Konan. His Rinnegan eyes were a blazing red color- a tell-tale sign that he was furious at the moment.

"WHY ARE YOU NOT RESPONDING? I HAVE SENT OUT MANY SIGNALS TO YOUR RINGS!" Pain yelled at the others, and he received no response.

"They appear to be trapped in a genjutsu of sorts..." Konan said. Pain's eyes scanned across the room, searching for the cause behind this strange happening. The eyes faded from their blazing red color to their normal grayish-purple color as Pain calmed down.

"They are trapped in some sort of genjutsu, but it is one that not even I can identify..." he said, "and since Otoshi is not here... he is the likely suspect."

Pain walked over to each member and began dispelling the genjutsu they were trapped in. As he was doing this, Konan asked, "Do you think he has betrayed us, as well?"

"Without a doubt," Pain said. At this point all of the Akatsuki members were free of the genjutsu, and most of them were quite shocked to see that the Leader was standing before them in the flesh. This was the first time all of them except Zetsu and Itachi had seen him.

"It appears that we have another traitor," Pain announced, "Otoshi placed all of you in a powerful genjutsu, and he is nowhere to be seen. I cannot even sense him, so he is far away by now."

"The last thing I remember is Otoshi removing his headband," Zetsu said, "and I recall him wanting to track down the traitors, but we wouldn't let him."

"Strange... I don't even remember being caught in a genjutsu," Itachi mused.

"Then you all now know not to look at Otoshi's eyes when you fight him," Konan said. Her speaking up made some of the Akatsuki members aware of her presence. Like Pain, this would be the first time some of them saw her in person.

"Our current objective is quite obvious. We only have three more bijuu to seal before our goal is reached. Two of those three are currently in Konohagakure. There are three traitors that know our secrets. Two of those three are in Konohagakure, and one is likely there already or heading there. Deidara and Tobi will be the first to strike, as they are the combat members that are able to travel the quickest. You two are assigned to capture the Five-Tails and eliminate The Necromancer. Itachi and Kisame are assigned to capture the Nine-Tails. Zetsu, you scout out the countryside to see if Otoshi is or is not in Konoha. Konan and I will arrive later and assist whatever team is having the most trouble at the time. Our goals will be accomplished soon!" Pain announced.

"Yeah! Let's fucking kick their asses!" Tobi shouted with glee. His rude swearing caused him to get slapped on the head by Deidara.

"Bad Tobi! Bad boy, hmm!" Deidara shouted in a chastising tone.

"Ow... Tobi's sorry... Tobi's a good boy..." Tobi whimpered as he rubbed the area of his head that Deidara struck.

"As you wish," Itachi said, ignoring Tobi and Deidara's antics. He body flickered out of the base. Kisame simply smiled at Pain before doing the same. Deidara reached into his pouch of clay and formed two clay birds. Both he and Tobi mounted one, and the two avian constructs flew off. Zetsu began sinking into the ground, but he stopped halfway.

"Um...where exactly should I check?" Zetsu asked, "Should I look around Konoha first?"

"No. While Otoshi may be there, we cannot risk tipping off The Necromancer of our presence. She is a sensor, and you showing up will put the element of surprise in jeopardy. Otoshi is not in the Rain Country... the rain has not picked up his chakra signals. Search around the Fire Country," Pain said.

"_Can do,_" Zetsu's other half spoke as he completely sank into the ground. Now that they were alone, Konan walked over to Pain.

"Are you sure that they need backup? Couldn't we just head over to Iwagakure and capture the last bijuu?" she asked.

"I'm not sure..." Pain responded, "The Necromancer is a powerful ninja, and Kenokami is no pushover, either. I'm not so sure if Deidara and Tobi can handle both of them. And Roshi might not be the end of our bijuu hunt. I'm still unsure if the 'bijuu' in Kumogakure will disrupt the chakra balance of the Outer Path or not. If it would not, I would prefer that the Outer Path has as much power as possible before proceeding with the final phase of our plan."

"But I can tell there's _some_ reason you want to go to Konohagakure..." Konan said coyly as she placed a hand on Pain's hand.

"The Necromancer... she is searching for Madara to enact vengeance upon him. Madara is elusive... not even I have been able to locate him since he left. But she likely holds the jutsu to lure him out of his hiding..."

Konan's eyes widened, "You don't think..."

"I am positive of it. Konoha is overrun with the dead, and Madara is likely there."

"Then why aren't we being more urgent with our offense?"

"The Kyuubi will be fine... I am positive of that."

Konan closed her eyes, her brow slightly wrinkled with worry. Her worry soon faded... Nagato's intuition seemed to always be correct. A playful grin spread across her face as she realized that they had plenty of time together before they had to depart.

"So... now that we're all alone..." she said with a loving smile as she drew closer to Pain.

"Are you sure? With this body?" Pain asked with a coy smile.

"Of course," Konan replied as she embraced Pain and locked lips with him.


	9. The Dark Tyrant

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 9:

Madara walked through the village with the damned surrounding him. They moaned and moved about, but they completely ignored Madara. He pushed an undead man out of his way and continued moving. For a moment, the zombie seemed to recognize that Madara was there, but ultimately he turned away and continued shuffling about aimlessly. The zombies would not attack the man who had originally created them: Madara had made sure of that. His destination was a group of living humans that were nearby.

It was remarkable how so little human life remained in the village. He still was not used to seeing how easily a horde of zombies could wipe out an unprepared village... after all, he had only used this jutsu twice in the past. Once on the Sun Village twenty years ago and another time before that...

He stopped his movements and his thoughts. He could see the survivors ahead: a girl with pink hair, two girls with black hair that seemed to be related, a girl with her hair in buns, a man with long black hair, a man covered with a hooded jacket, two strange-looking men that had near-identical appearances, and the Hokage. Madara smirked and pulled up the hood on his cloak.

"Who's that in the distance?" Sakura asked with slight concern as she pointed in the direction of Madara. Before they knew it, the man had appeared right in front of them.

"Who are you?" Tsunade asked, her voice full of held-back anger, "Or better yet, stop shitting around and take off that damn hood. I've had enough of people hiding their faces from me today..."

"Why are you so eager to antagonize people you have just met? That could lead to dire consequences," Madara spoke with his deep voice.

"Are you with us? Or against us? I would answer now if I were you! You're obviously outmatched here!" Guy exclaimed with vigor.

"I'm sorry, but the question is whether _you_ are with me or against me," Madara spoke. He moved his hands up to his hood and lowered it, "for I am the one that shall be seizing control of this village."

The group before Madara assumed fighting stances. Madara smirked at their actions. They didn't recognize him at all... not even the Hokage did. Madara decided to activate his Sharingan to give them a clue as to who he was.

As he expected, the group was showing shock at this revelation. This only caused his grin to widen.

"How? Itachi slew the entire clan!" Sakura said in disbelief.

"But the one who started this crisis was also an Uchiha... it seems that Itachi wasn't as thorough as everyone thought he was..." Shino said without any shock in his voice.

"You..." Tsunade said, her skin paled and her countenance full of disbelief, "...you're not..."

Madara smiled, showing his teeth. "I am, Hokage. I am Madara Uchiha."

Tsunade's expression became more distorted with fear. The other people in her group didn't recognize the name, but if it made _Tsunade_ terrified, then this man was definitely a serious threat. They held their fighting stances, closely observing the man before them for any sudden movements.

"How can this be? You're supposed to be dead! And even if you _were_ alive, you would be near a century old!" Tsunade asked in bewilderment.

"Appearances can be deceiving," Madara said, ignoring the first part of Tsunade's statement, "I _swore_ that the Sannin were all in their late fifties, but I see a charming young woman before me."

"Point taken..." Tsunade growled. Staring at this man resurfaced all of her memories of studying the history of this village. Her grandfather, the First Hokage, and this man... they were fierce rivals that eventually became sworn enemies. And it was due to this man that she never got to see her grandfather... all of the offenses done against the village in its early history were this man's fault. And the Day of the Bloodied Sun was his doing, too...

Tsunade's anger reached its peak. She fiercely roared as she charged forward, bringing forth a large amount of chakra to enhance her powerful punch. The force built up in this attack would be enough to destroy the entire Hokage Mountain. She felt no reason to give Madara any time to act... who knew what techniques he had. Madara raised a hand and caught Tsunade's fist. Just as Tsunade unleashed the built-up chakra at the point of impact, Madara did the same to counteract it. He strained himself to stay rooted in the same spot, but Tsunade's strength managed to push him back a bit. The sheer amount of chakra being exuded by the two combatants to try and gain the upper hand over the other caused a massive crater to form underneath them as the attack finished. The crater wasn't very deep, but its formation caused the other members of Tsunade's group to lose their balance.

Tsunade took a few steps back in denial. Somehow... somehow Madara had canceled out that attack. The punch that would have destroyed the Hokage Mountain... did nothing to him. And his hand wasn't even broken...

"That was a good effort on your part, Hokage. If I had not expected that, you may have very well ended my life there," Madara said, "but now it's my turn."

As soon as those words fell from Madara's lips, Tsunade coughed up blood as immense pain struck her gut. Before she could even register what had happened, she was flying backward. It had taken her a few seconds to realize that she had been punched by Madara... he was perhaps the fastest opponent that she had ever fought. She crashed into the wall of a nearby building, creating a large but shallow crater in the wall. She fell to the ground and did not get back up.

Madara turned to face the stunned Konoha ninja. Upon seeing their reactions, he could not help but smirk and taunt. "I just took down the Hokage... does anyone else wish to take me on?"

_How?_ Sakura thought as she stared at Madara's Sharingan, _How are we supposed to beat him? For three years I've trained with Tsunade... she's incredibly powerful, but... this man... took her down with one attack!_

There was a moment of stillness as the Konoha ninja considered their options. None of them seemed appealing... they all seemed to end in defeat. Hopelessness hung heavy on their shoulders...

Until Guy and Lee valiantly stepped forward with fierce determination in their eyes. Neji activated his Byakugan and stood beside his team, and Tenten soon joined him.

"If we give up, then we are giving up on the village," Guy stated, "so no matter how hopeless it seems, we must still fight!"

Sakura, Shino, Hinata, and Hanabi walked over to Team Guy upon hearing his words. Standing together against a common foe alleviated the fear somewhat, but Sakura still had doubts in her mind of their success.

"It's cute that you think you stand a chance..." Madara said as he eyed the seven ninja that were opposing him. As he saw Hinata, Neji, and Hanabi, his countenance became enraged, "You... you are of that traitor Hizuro's clan!"

"How was my great uncle a traitor?" Neji asked fiercely.

"You are all ignorant of the truth! This village has many secrets that you are not aware of!" Madara exclaimed indignantly.

"You talk too much!" Tsunade shouted as she appeared behind Madara and slammed her heel down on his head. Madara crashed into the ground, causing the rock beneath him to shatter as he collided with it. Madara vanished shortly after hitting the ground.

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura exclaimed with relief.

"I'm not getting taken out that easily!" she exclaimed as she looked around for Madara's whereabouts.

"Guy! Behind you!" Neji called out. Guy spun around just in time to clap his hands over the blade of a katana that Madara was wielding. Lee, who was closest to Guy, used this opportunity to deliver a powerful kick. Madara was sent flying by the attack, and his sword fell from his grip.

_This is my chance!_ Tenten thought as she pulled out the scroll on her back and unfurled it. She swung it, sending a massive shuriken barreling towards Madara. The former Uchiha leader stood up from his downed position and stopped the weapon's momentum with one hand. He then threw it back at a faster speed, causing his opponents to scatter to avoid it.

"You have no idea who you're fighting! You have no idea of the early history of this village, do you?" Madara yelled with vehement anger, "Just fifty-seven years ago was this village born, and none of you know! None of you know that _I_ killed the First Hokage!"

The younger ninja were once again taken aback at this revelation. It was said that the First Hokage died during the First Great Shinobi World War due to illness! But Tsunade was not fooled; she knew the truth.

"Bullshit! You never killed him in that battle that formed the Valley of the End! He died of complications from that battle a few weeks later!" she indignantly exclaimed.

"We can name all the technicalities we want, Tsunade, but it doesn't change the fact that I was responsible for his death," Madara said.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Guy shouted as his foot slammed into Madara's head, sending the former Uchiha leader crashing to the ground once more. Guy struck a triumphant pose and said, "I, too, agree with Lady Tsunade that you speak far too much!"

Madara vanished from the ground and appeared behind Guy. He thrust his katana at the back of his neck, but Lee quickly charged in and intercepted the attack by charging into Madara and knocking him off course. Tsunade took this opportunity to throw a quick punch at Madara, but he simply slapped her hand away while he tried to regain his balance. As soon as he did, Guy and Lee were on him, throwing a flurry of kicks and punches. Madara's speed and Sharingan enabled him to block every one of these attacks. He soon saw his moment to strike.

He formed a single hand seal in a small window where his hands were free from blocking attacks. He opened his mouth and spat out a very large fireball, forcing Guy and Lee to leap away from Madara to dodge it.

"Stay back," Neji said to his two cousins as he took this chance to attack Madara. He activated his Byakugan and moved forward. He briefly glanced towards Tenten and nodded. She nodded in return as swung the unfurled scroll that was still in her hands. Several ninja tools burst forth and flew towards Madara, who simply stood there as the attacks approached. He thrust out his arm and expelled a burst of chakra that removed the momentum of the approaching weapons, causing them to fall harmlessly to the ground.

"We've been over this, girl. Your weapons cannot-" he started, but he suddenly whirled around to block an attack by Neji, who was taken aback by the Uchiha's quick reaction to his sneak attack. Regardless, Neji had the upper hand, as the Gentle Fist fighting style cannot truly be blocked. Madara knew this, seeing as how he quickly fell back after defending against Neji's poke.

"Damn you!" Madara cursed as he prepared another jutsu, but he was too distracted to notice Guy and Lee rushing towards him. His arms were then forcefully pulled behind his back and held there, the strength of the two youthful shinobi too much for him to easily escape from their grips.

"Now, Neji!" Guy shouted at his student. Neji nodded and assumed a stance. Upon seeing the stance, Madara fiercely tried to break out of Guy and Lee's hold, but they simply applied more strength. Madara gritted his teeth as he tried to use his Sharingan to put Neji in a genjutsu, but the Hyuga prodigy was not looking at his face! Madara's face became contorted with rage as he realized that he was going to get hit by this attack and that there was nothing he could do about it.

"Eight Trigrams! Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji shouted as he burst forward and struck Madara twice. He followed up on those two strikes with another two, and he increased the number of consecutive strikes until the total number of strikes had been sixty-four. Not content with only disabling that many chakra points, Neji decided to add another sixty-four strikes. "Eight Trigrams! One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!" he shouted as he delivered another sixty-four strikes with lightning speed.

"DAMN YOU, HYUGA!" Madara cursed as he managed to overpower Guy and Lee despite his weakened state. Madara began forming complex hand seals, and a mysterious black energy began forming around his hands.

_How is he still using jutsu?_ Neji thought with shock. He then saw what Madara was doing with his chakra network. _Is he... circumventing the blockages I made? Nobody has ever managed to do that before!_

Madara's face was twisted with hatred, but that look of sheer loathing was replaced with one of shock as Tsunade appeared directly in front of him.

"Never let your guard down, fool," she said as she slammed her fist in his gut. Madara was sent flying back by the attack; the only thing that stopped him from being flung across the village was the last wall of the sixth building he crashed through.

"Is... is it safe?" Sakura asked as she looked around at her companions. None of them seemed to be injured, which was a great relief.

"He won't be getting up for a while," Tsunade said as she looked in the direction that Madara had been thrown in, "Neji severely hampered his ability to easily use jutsu, and nobody can easily recover from a blow on the level of the one I just gave him."

"Are... are you sure, Lady Tsunade?" Tenten asked with worry.

"If there weren't buildings in the way, he would have been thrown outside the village by my attack. It took six buildings, almost seven, to stop the momentum of my attack, and who knows how many walls he crashed through on his flight."

"I can barely see him with my Byakugan," Neji said, "and he's not moving. He's alive, though. He's either unable to move or unconscious."

"Should we finish him off, Lady Tsunade?" Lee asked with vigor.

"I don't think it will be that simple..." Tsunade said as she frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?" Sakura protested, "Neji himself said that he's weakened or unconscious! It should be easy to-"

"You're wrong," Tsunade interrupted, "there is one thing you should never assume about Madara, and that is that he will be easy to remove."

"But-"

"It doesn't matter if he seems weakened, because he's not! Konoha keeps the early history of this village hidden from the younger generations, but history has shown several times that Madara always has a way."

"He's conscious," Hanabi said. Her speaking after being silent for so long drew attention towards her. She had her Byakugan active, and she was staring in the same direction as Neji.

"How can you tell?" Neji asked with suspicion.

"Father always praised Hanabi's Byakugan..." Hinata said quietly in a remorseful tone, "...he said that it was the finest one in the clan's history. She is able to see farther than any other Hyuga."

"It's true..." Hanabi said as she continued to look at Madara. She suddenly yelped in fright and fell down. Neji and Hinata rushed to her aid, and they saw that her Byakugan had been deactivated. Neji, seeing this as a warning, deactivated his as well.

"He knew... he knew that I was looking at him," she gasped in fright as tears fell from her eyes, "and then... he showed me... terrifying images..."

"It's okay, Hanabi... it was just a genjutsu. None of it was real," Neji said in a soothing voice as he helped his cousin up. Hinata embraced her sister and stroked her hair to comfort her.

"So we know his Sharingan still work," Shino said, bringing attention to him due to his earlier silence, "that is more than enough reason to not confront him."

"Where were you during the fight?" Tenten asked with scrutiny.

"Where was I? I wasn't needed... Madara was just toying with us, and we have an advantage in sheer numbers. I saw no reason to assist in the battle yet. Rest assured, I did do _something..._ unless he discovers it and destroys it, I placed a tracker insect on him during the fight. We'll know if he's coming."

"That may be, but will it be enough? You saw how fast he was when he struck Lady Tsunade!" Sakura said.

"Knowing an enemy is approaching, no matter how brief the time window is from his departure until his arrival, is more of an advantage than not knowing at all," Shino said.

"We should continue our search," Tsunade said.

"But what about Madara?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Why was the powerful threat being dismissed when he was weakened?

"You saw that he was about to cast a powerful jutsu... he had taken off the training gloves at that point, and it's highly likely that they're still off. He's waiting for us to pursue him, and he's likely planning just how to eliminate us. If we go to fight him again, I'm not so sure that we can win. If we wait, sure, he will recover, but his arrogance might cause him to toy with us again upon our next encounter... if we're unfortunate enough to have a second encounter."

"But surely he isn't that powerful?" Sakura asked, "He can't be as bad as you're making him out to be!"

"He is, and he is worse than I am making him out to be," Tsunade said with a cold and serious tone, "There is a reason the early history of this village is covered up... there are many unsettling things that happened. Madara is not to be taken lightly."

"Then what happened? Why are we kept in the dark?" Tenten asked, taking interest in the current conversation. She turned to Guy, "Do you know, Guy-sensei?"

Guy shook his head, "I have heard of Madara's infamy, but I do not know the early history of this village."

"The youngest people that would know would be the people in all of your parents' age group," Tsunade said.

_That black chakra that formed when Madara was casting that jutsu... it had a vile feeling to it, just like the chakra possessing the dead... is Madara connected to all of this? Did my father know this? Was that... why he went insane?_ Shino mused to himself.

"But that's not important right now," Tsunade added, "What is important is that we still need to continue looking for survivors."

The group nodded, and soon they were off.

* * *

Naruto clutched his head as a throbbing pain resonated throughout his skull. He was having trouble remembering what had happened. He looked about him and saw the group he had been with all standing there with similar pained expressions on their faces. He then remembered the arrogant smirk that made him madder than any other smirk ever given to him.

"Otoshi... where did he go?" Naruto growled as his head whipped about in search of the blindfolded man.

"The last thing I remember is that he removed his headband and I tried to use genjutsu on him..." Kurenai said as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Do you think he used genjutsu on us?" Yamato suggested.

"It's highly likely..." Shikamaru said. He looked up and pointed at the sky, "See? The sun has changed positions. We were out for at least thirty minutes, if not an hour."

"Are you serious?" Kiba asked in bewilderment, "We're fucking lucky some of those monsters didn't come by and chomp on us!" After he said this, Akamaru barked in confirmation.

_They're zombies..._ Naruto thought with mild annoyance. Of all of his friends, he pegged Kiba as one who would have read the comic books, but it seemed that he was wrong.

"They actually have a name, Kiba. The monsters, that is," Shikamaru said as he glanced at Naruto and smiled, "they're called zombies."

Naruto's eyes grew big upon hearing Shikamaru, "Whoa! Shikamaru reads the zombie comics? No way!" he exclaimed as his respect for him grew exponentially.

"We'll have plenty of time to chat later," Shizune said with a sigh, "we have less time to look for survivors now, so we need to make our next search area count."

"What about the hospital? It's nearby," Sai suggested in a flat tone.

"Sounds good to me... it seems that plenty of people would have headed to the hospital upon first signs of this disaster," Shizune said.

"But where do you think the people infected with the disease were sent?" Kurenai asked, "My point is, I'm not so sure that the hospital is a good idea."

"It's better than aimlessly wandering about and searching normal households. Plus, I think the plague acts too fast for someone to be sent to the hospital," Shikamaru said.

"So we'll definitely face these 'zombies,' but for different reasons... not because the sick were in the hospital, but because the living are in the hospital, thus drawing the creatures to them..." Yamato said as he stroked his chin.

"Well, no sense standing around," Kiba said as he started to move towards the hospital. The others followed him.

_I just hope this is a good idea..._ Naruto thought with concern.

* * *

Kenokami's eyes slowly opened as he awoke. Reiko was not by his side, so he glanced around the room in search of her. He saw her staring out one of the large windows, her back turned to him.

"Ah, you're awake," she said as she turned to look at him. Her face held a determined expression with underlying worry. "I've made up my mind."

"Made up your mind on what?" Kenokami mumbled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"What to do with the threats to our plan," she said. "Since Akatsuki will be here in a day or two, we need to get rid of these pests quickly before they arrive. So no more hit and run, no more observation... I think we're ready."

"Right... so which group are we taking down first?"

"The Hokage's group."

"Why them? Isn't she infected? That problem will take care of itself."

"One problem out of nine. Did you forget that they have the powerful taijutsu team with them? They are more dangerous, and they are closer to us than the other group."

Kenokami stood up and stretched, "What about Madara?"

"Tsunade's group temporarily incapacitated him... to a point," Reiko said. "He's still much too dangerous to attack right now."

"Very well... shall we go?" Kenokami asked as he walked over to his swords that were lying on a table and picked them up.

"Yes... let's," Reiko said as she pulled up the hood on her black cloak. The two then departed the tower.

* * *

Karin stopped walking. Something was wrong.

"Hey, Karin, why'd you stop?" Suigetsu asked. This piqued Sasuke's interest, who turned and started expectantly at Karin.

"It's Itachi," she breathed. Sasuke's eyes widened and he marched up to her.

"Where is he?" Sasuke demanded with fervor.

"He's heading towards Konohagakure," Karin said quietly.

"Is Kisame with Itachi?" Suigetsu asked.

"Yes," Karin said with a nod. This caused a wide grin of excitement to appear on Suigetsu's face.

"Let's hurry! We have no time to waste!" Sasuke commanded, "We're far from the village, so we have to head there as fast as possible to catch up with Itachi!" The three members of Hebi nodded and followed Sasuke as he changed course.

* * *

Deidara and Tobi were entering the Fire Country on the clay birds Deidara had crafted them. Deidara was currently scouting out the ground below using the scope covering his left eye. Tobi was lounging on the bird, staring up at the sky instead of looking down below.

"Watcha lookin' for, Dei-Dei?" Tobi asked as he continued staring up at the sky.

"Oh, just looking for any signs pointing the way to Konohagakure. You know, the mission given to _both of us, hmm,_" Deidara said with annoyance.

"That's neat-o," Tobi said, obviously not paying attention. It was highly likely that his comment was not directed towards Deidara, but towards a cloud he saw that was shaped like a bear.

"Will you pay attention, hmm?" Deidara snapped at his foolish partner.

"Right," Tobi said in the tone that all but gave away that he was, in fact, not paying attention.

"You do know there's little preventing me from blowing up that bird you're on, hmm?" Deidara threatened as he scowled at his masked partner.

"Wha? No, no, no! Tobi likes flying!" Tobi cried as he sat up and stared at Deidara. While he couldn't see through the mask, Deidara pictured a pathetically sad expression on his partner's face.

_So he values flying more than his own life..._ Deidara sighed as he rolled his eyes at Tobi's antics.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to be looking for stuff?" Tobi asked in a horrible attempt to sound bossy and threatening.

"You have no room to lecture me, yeah!" Deidara snapped as he returned to looking down below at the ground.

"Can't we just use a map, Dei-Dei?" Tobi asked. This comment caused Deidara to look up at Tobi.

"Why... that's actually a good idea, Tobi," he said.

"Really?" Tobi asked with cheer.

"No. We have no idea where to get a map," Deidara snapped as he tossed a tiny pebble-sized blob of clay at Tobi and detonated it, causing him to yelp.

"Ow! Why are you so mean, Dei-Dei?" Tobi whimpered as he skulked.

"One: You are being useless. Two: You are being annoying. Three: Stop calling me that horrible nickname you made. Four: Shut up and stop asking questions, hmm!" Deidara scolded.

"Suuuuure thing, _Mister_ Dei-Dei!" Tobi exclaimed, putting emphasis on the word "mister" to show that it was a completely new nickname.

"I swear... you're going to be the death of me, yeah..." Deidara mumbled under his breath.

* * *

Two cloaked and hooded men were currently pressing their backs up against a corner of a building. One of the men was slightly taller than the other, but he was much bulkier. They both had masks characteristic of ANBU on their faces. The larger one had a mask of a bear, and the smaller of the two had the mask of a lion. The smaller of the two peered over the corner to look at the street next to them.

"He's eating something... and it's just one," he whispered to the larger man.

"Good hearing, Tezaki. I wouldn't have been able to hear him from that far away," the larger man whispered back.

"So... Ota," Tezaki said, "Lord Danzou wishes to have ten of these undead creatures... but should we just nab any zombie we see?"

"Hmm... no, I don't think so. You make a good point. Lord Danzou likes wide samples, but he only asked for ten... hmm..." Ota mused to himself. After a bit of thinking, he said, "Let's split it evenly: five of each sex, and two of each age group. That seems good enough."

"So two adults, two elderly, two adolescents, two children, and..." Tezaki said, not sure about the last category.

"Younger children and older children, of course. Perhaps two kids around five years old, and then two kids around twelve years old," Ota said.

"Oh... I see..." Tezaki said with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

"Don't tell me you're letting your emotions get in the way of things again," Ota whispered with a scolding tone, "you may be kinda new, but you've _gotta_ stick with keeping your emotions under control. You know what Danzou does to those who defy his orders."

"Y-Yes..." Tezaki muttered in a defeated tone.

"Well, let's hurry up and get this chap before he's done with his meal and comes for us," Ota said. Tezaki nodded, and the two turned the corner and entered the alleyway. Tezaki made one hand seal, and the zombified man suddenly froze in place.

"So a simple technique like that works well enough to bind them?" Ota asked with a mild sense of amazement as he walked over to the kneeling zombified man. He nudged it with his foot, causing it to fall over.

"You're forgetting that I have mastered the Temporary Body Paralysis technique, Ota," Tezaki said, his voice at a normal volume now that he did not need to be quiet, "much like how Shisui Uchiha mastered the Body Flicker technique. If you tried binding them, I doubt you would be able to hold them for a minute."

"Are you sure? I mean, these things aren't that agile, so it should be easy to hold them" Ota said as he moved his hand towards the undead man's mouth to see if he really was frozen.

"I would advise against that," Tezaki sighed, causing Ota to stop his approach, "and they may not be agile like a normal person, but they are _very_ stubborn about breaking out of something like this... especially with fresh meat around."

"Fine, I'll believe you..." Ota sighed. His eyes looked down at the frozen man, "Uh... what do we do with him?"

"Well, for one thing, you're carrying him," Tezaki said bluntly.

"Why do I have to do that?" Ota protested.

"Because you're built for lifting heavy things. I'm not," Tezaki sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, where do we put him? I can't carry ten people, y'know," Ota grumbled.

"How about over there?" Tezaki suggested as he pointed at a nearby house with its door open. Before Ota could complain, he added, "It's as good of a place as any we're going to find here."

"Fine..." Ota said as he grabbed the zombie man by his shirt and lifted him up. The two Root members walked in the house, and Ota threw the zombie man to the ground, eager to not carry him anymore.

_Apparently keeping your emotions under control only applies to the emotions that conflict with the mission..._ Tezaki thought in annoyance towards Ota's impatient and childish behavior. He was listening for anyone else in this single story house, but he heard nothing.

"No creatures in here," he announced aloud, "let's go."

The two Root members left the house and looked around. No zombies were nearby, much to their disappointment.

"So where do we start looking?" Ota asked.

"Well, we're not gathering certain types of people... anybody can work as long as they fit into the nine types we don't have. So, really, just about anywhere would work," Tezaki responded.

"Should we split up?"

"Do you have a means of easily restraining the walking dead?" Tezaki sighed as he glared at his partner's stupidity.

"Oh... right. Sticking together it is," Ota said. Tezaki shook his head and starting walking towards a street they had not been on yet. His ears were picking up on the irregular footsteps of the dead ahead. He raised a hand, signaling to Ota that they should begin moving stealthily. They rounded a corner and arrived on the street. As soon as they did, five zombies slowly turned towards the two Root members and began approaching.

"There's our woman and our elderly couple..." Tezaki said to himself as he formed the hand seal for the Temporary Body Paralysis jutsu. He turned to look at his partner and said, "Ota, dispose of the other two."

Ota nodded as he walked up to the two undead men. He held out his arms, and his hands suddenly swelled to a large size. He clapped them over the heads of the two zombified men, shattering their skulls. Ota's hands shrank back to normal size, and he wiped the blood off of them using his cloak. He turned around to see three frozen zombies. He nodded at Tezaki as his left hand enlarged once more. He picked up the three zombies by their clothing near the neck and walked back to the house that was storing the zombified man.

_Bullshit... can't carry ten at once... you're an Akimichi, Ota. You can make yourself large enough to carry ten zombies..._ Tezaki though with agitation towards his lazy partner as he watched him stroll off to the building. He waited for a bit for his partner to return, but instead he heard him call out, "Hey, Tezaki, over here!"

_You idiot! You'll alert the whole populace of the village by shouting!_ Tezaki thought with much chagrin as he ran towards Ota's voice. He saw his partner waving at him in the distance.

"What do you want?" Tezaki asked with exasperation as he stared at his partner with disbelief. Did he _honestly_ just call him over here for no reason? And then he saw him point. Tezaki's eyes followed the brawny arm and saw a small group of zombified children shambling towards them.

"Found the kids," Ota said. Tezaki pictured a big dumb grin under his partner's mask as he stupidly pointed out the obvious. What was even worse was that Ota made it sound like all four of the types of children needed were in this group, but there were only three of the required four.

The three children shuffling towards them all seemed to be siblings since they shared the same hair color, along with having similar facial features. Two of them were girls, with the boy seeming like the middle child. For some reason, this was unnerving Tezaki. It wasn't the case that this was the first time he had experienced something horrifying- it was quite the opposite. He had seen countless innocents slain during missions he had undertook, with some of them done in by his own hand. But these children... it was unnatural. It was not meant for them to be this way. He could just as easily picture them as their smiling selves as he could see them as they are now. What had happened to them? Where were their parents? And the events surrounding their transformation into this state were full of unfortunate implications.

"You gonna freeze them or are we going to be a kid's meal?" Ota asked, snapping Tezaki out of his trance.

_This isn't right... this mission is wrong... but why am I still carrying it out?_ Tezaki thought as he performed the paralysis jutsu. Ota picked up the children and hauled them to the nearby storage area. It was then that Tezaki sensed it. Ota returned to see his partner panicking.

"Eh? What's gotten into you?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I sense some living people nearby!" Tezaki exclaimed with worry, "And they're in danger!"

"Not part of the mission," Ota said sternly, "We were told to ignore any survivors we might encounter."

Tezaki bit his lip. He didn't want to leave those people to die. These walking corpses were not natural... their very presence was wrecking Tezaki's world and pulling apart all of the perceptions about life that he held. He then thought of how to convince Ota to come along. His expression visibly changed, but it was forced.

"I know that," Tezaki said, "I said they were in danger. You know what that means, right?"

It took Ota a few seconds before what his partner was implying dawned upon him, "Oh, I see! A bunch of these dead people will be around them!"

"Exactly! So let's go!" Tezaki urged as he took off. Ota called out to his partner to wait for him as he trudged behind him, but Tezaki had no intentions of slowing down. His mind was in turmoil: he had a mission to complete, but his soul was telling him to abandon it and save these people. But what would Ota do? Ota was completely focused on the mission... how could he convince the Akimichi to back down?

He saw the endangered people as he arrived on the location. They were a man and a woman, most likely a couple, and they were on top of a small shop kiosk. They were obviously distraught about the fifty-or-so undead surrounding them, and more were approaching the area. The couple were holding each other tightly and burying their heads into each other's shoulders. The man took a glance out and noticed Tezaki. His eyes widened as he turned his head towards him, and his expression brightened. He pointed out the presence of the Root member to his girlfriend, and she, too, seemed to have gained newfound hope.

"Don't worry!" Tezaki shouted over the din of the groans of the dead, "I'm going to save you!" He was not concerned about his voice attracting any of the dead, for they seemed completely focused on the civilian couple. Tezaki walked towards the kiosk, only for Ota to appear in front of him.

"This isn't part of the mission," he said sternly, "we get our zombies, and then we leave."

"Look at them, Ota," Tezaki said as he glared at his partner, "look at the hope they have. How can we just leave them to die?"

"Because it's our mission to leave them to die," he stated. A slight breeze blew by, rustling their cloaks. The two stared at each other, trying to read each other's expression behind the mask they wore.

Tezaki leaned over so the civilian couple could see him. He shouted, "Don't worry, I just need to convince my partner to save you and-"

His words were lost as Ota slammed his fist into Tezaki's gut, sending him flying back several feet. He crashed against the ground and felt the wind leave him. He saw Ota walk up to him and lean down. The emotionless bear mask stared at him in juxtaposition to the glaring eyes visible behind the eye holes in the mask.

"Tezaki... I know you're not used to a disaster like this, but _think_ about this for a moment."

He paused, presumably so Tezaki would mull over what he said. All Tezaki could think of was how amusing it was that the dull Ota was telling _him_ to think.

"We were given a mission, and we're expected to follow it through. People like us aren't forced into Root... we get an offer if we're good enough. We weren't raised to be killing machines like some of the other members. You took the offer to join Root, Tezaki. You came here knowing what you had to do. You had to get rid of your feelings and do what you're told to do, no matter what."

He began to pace around his partner as Tezaki shakily stood up. He turned in place to follow Ota's movements.

"Lord Danzou knew this was going to happen," Ota continued, "and so, unless you back down and leave these people to die, I'm going to have to kill you."

"Why?" Tezaki cried, "Why are you so callous towards this? How can you honestly tell me that you're okay with leaving these innocent people to die?"

"I'm not dumb: I know you think I'm stupid. I've always been teased about how I'm not so bright. But there are some things I can piece together, and this is one of them. So what if you save these people? How long are they going to last after you save them? Who knows how long the dead are gonna be in this village? They're just gonna die eventually! Saving them now will just delay what's gonna happen!"

"They have a far better chance if someone saves them and stays with them, Ota. Yes, they might die later, but they _could_ live through this mess! And they're definitely not going to live through this if we condemn them to die right now!"

Ota sighed and shook his head, "You just don't get it... I'm sorry, Tezaki... I enjoyed being your partner, but this is the end."

Ota's fists suddenly swelled in size as he thrust both of his arms in Tezaki's direction. He leaped back to avoid the fists and unsheathed the tanto he was carrying.

"So it all comes down to this, huh? Well, I'm not backing out. Your life ends today, Ota," Tezaki said, "and I have the upper hand. I may not have seen your face in our assignments together, but it doesn't take a Kage to know that you're from the Akimichi clan. You're not going to be able to pull any tricks on me, but you don't know my origins. All you know is that I've mastered the paralysis jutsu and that I know a few lightning jutsu..."

"You may be confident now, but know that I was trained by the legendary Jiraiya! He was my teacher in my genin days, and I was partners with the boy that would become Fourth Hokage!" Ota boasted.

"Nice credentials there, but I, too, have relations to a Hokage..." Tezaki said as arcs of electricity began to encircle the blade of his tanto, "The Third Hokage trained me often in my childhood, and I was rivals with the former member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Asuma Sarutobi!"

The arcs of electricity around his blade became more vivid and frequent until they engulfed the blade of the tanto and extended past it. Tezaki was channeling his lightning nature chakra through his tanto. He dashed towards Ota, who formed some hand seals. His body swelled in size until it resembled a large ball. He tucked his arms and legs inside his cloak and began rolling towards Tezaki, who leaped out of the way. Ota seemed to sense that he had dodged, so he turned around and rolled towards him once more.

_I've got to make this count..._ Tezaki thought as he quickly formed some hand seals. A large amount of electrical energy began to form around his free hand. Ota rolled closer and closer, and Tezaki thrust the energy-covered hand at the human boulder the instant before impact. Ota's motion forward was instantly stopped as the lightning jutsu knocked him back with an incredible piercing blow. He tripped on his unexpected movement backward and landed on his back. His body returned to normal size, and he sprung to his feet. Oddly enough, the attack did not seem to wound Ota. He leaned down and placed his hands on the ground, ripping up a large chunk of earth and hurling it at Tezaki, who smiled beneath his mask as he simply cleaved the chunk in two with his lightning tanto.

"My lightning jutsus cut through the earth, Ota. You'll have to try harder than that," Tezaki taunted. This caused Ota's arms to increase in size as he charged towards Tezaki. The Akimichi's speed was slow compared to his speed; Tezaki easily dodged Ota's wild swings, even if the size of his fists were much larger. Tezaki tapped Ota's arm as it swung by his head, and he discharged a bit of electricity, briefly stunning his opponent. Tezaki took this opportunity to rapidly form a set of hand seals. Tezaki removed his mask and cast it aside as he took a deep breath and exhaled a huge blast of electricity that engulfed Ota.

The dust thrown up by the jutsu soon cleared, revealing a slouching and battered Ota. His cloak had been reduced to scraps in the attack, leaving his Root garb exposed. The bear mask covering his face was cracked, and it soon fell apart, exposing his face.

Ota seemed much older than Tezaki pictured him as... then again, he would have to be older to be trained by Jiraiya as a genin. He had tanned skin, squinty eyes, and two diagonal blue markings on his cheeks. His hair was dark and close-cut in a military fashion. Tezaki's mask was also off, revealing his appearance to Ota. He had a somewhat lazy expression, scruffy brown hair, and visible stubble on his chin. The two glared at each other as they saw their faces for the first time.

"I'll kill you, Tezaki," Ota stated as he reached into a pocket on his flak jacket and produced a spherical green pill. Tezaki's eyes widened as he instantly recognized it: it was one of the Akimichi's three colored pills! If Ota were to ingest all three... he couldn't let that happen! Tezaki burst forth and thrust his tanto into Ota's gut. He channeled electricity through the blade, numbing his muscles to where he couldn't move.

"Damn you, Tezaki..." Ota growled through clenched teeth as he stared at his former partner.

"Drop dead," Tezaki said as he removed his tanto from the Akimichi's body and stopped channeling his lightning chakra through it. He made several hand seals as he prepared a powerful jutsu. He knew that Ota's muscles would not recover until after the jutsu had been pulled off.

"Lightning Release: Spear of the Gods!" Tezaki cried out as he lifted his arms up in the air. A torrential geyser of lightning erupted from his hands and rose high up into the air. The lightning arced at a high peak in the sky before descending down and slamming into Ota's body at a high speed. The shocking and piercing power of the jutsu killed him instantly upon contact, in addition to creating a two-foot deep crater from the force of impact.

Tezaki turned to look at the two civilians. They were still on top of the kiosk, and there were still several zombies swarming around them. A few of the zombies finally took notice of Tezaki when he used his finishing move. Tezaki simply ignored them and jumped on top of a nearby building before hopping down on the roof of the kiosk, landing next to the civilian couple.

"Sorry about that... you two okay?" he asked.

"Yeah... what the hell happened?" the man of the couple asked. The woman stayed quiet as she gazed at Tezaki with frightful eyes. Tezaki threw off his cloak and tossed it in the horde below, seeing no use for concealment anymore.

"He was devoted to the mission and wanted to leave you two to die. I wouldn't allow that," he said.

"Oh, thank you!" the woman exclaimed, her fear fading with Tezaki revealing his intentions to save them.

"But I'm not abandoning my mission," he added, "it shouldn't take but a few minutes, and then I'll head straight back here. It might be scary with all of these dead folk surrounding you, but they're not going to be able to reach you two."

"Right. As long as you come back safely..." the man said.

The woman looked at her boyfriend with disbelief. She then turned to stare at Tezaki with a look that was both fearful and pleading, "But... how can we trust you? We don't even know who you are?"

"Don't worry... I killed my partner to save you two. I'm not going to leave you two behind or get myself killed now."

And with those words, Tezaki body flickered away.

* * *

Danzou was sitting down at a desk, his body stooped over it. The desk was a mess: various documents were strung all over it, and he was fervently gazing across all of them as he wrote something down on a sheet of paper of his own.

"Lord Danzou?" a voice from a radio transceiver next to him asked. The sudden noise broke Danzou out of his concentration and made him jump slightly. Danzou set down the pen he was holding and pressed the button on the transceiver to respond.

"Yes, what do you want?" Danzou snapped.

"Tezaki has returned, and he has ten of the dead paralyzed," the man responded, unaffected by Danzou's anger.

"Let him in, and take the dead with you," he said bluntly as he returned to writing. _That's odd..._ he thought, _...why didn't he mention Ota?_

After a few minutes, he heard footsteps and the sound of dragging behind him. He put his pen down, stood up from his chair, grabbed his cane (which was leaning against the desk), and walked over to the Root members. Tezaki was approaching him, while a few other Root members were dragging the paralyzed zombies to a location Danzou had specified to them earlier.

"Where is Ota?" Danzou asked with suspicion as he stared at his subordinate.

"He is dead," Tezaki stated plainly.

"Don't tell me that oaf got himself bitten," Danzou said, but his body language suggested that he knew that the zombies were not the cause of Ota's death.

"I killed him," Tezaki said, firmly holding his ground as Danzou's eye looked all over him.

"And why did you kill him?" Danzou asked in a low, threatening tone.

"I... he..." Tezaki stammered. Why was he being fearful of Danzou? He was confident of himself before speaking to him. There was just something _wrong_ with Danzou's chakra that seemed to be unnerving him.

Danzou took a few steps forward. His face appeared calm, but Tezaki could tell that he was furious with him. They were now standing face to face, and Tezaki could definitely see the anger in Danzou's eye, and the strange aura that was his chakra unnerved him further, but he held his ground and summoned up some determination. He refused to appear cowardly before Danzou!

"I disobeyed your orders, sir," Tezaki said sternly, not showing any signs of fear in his face or body movements, "I found some civilians in need of rescue. Ota would not let me save them, and he said you ordered him to kill me if I tried saving people. So I eliminated him. But I finished my mission, sir... my last mission. I'm quitting Root."

Danzou remained still, and his facial expression did not change. There were a few moments of uneasy silence as Danzou continued to glare at Tezaki, but he held his ground. Finally, Danzou turned away and shook his head.

"You are a fool, Tezaki... a complete and utter fool," he muttered. He then turned to look at Tezaki and spoke in a louder voice, "Be gone from here, and never return."

"You're... letting me go? Just like that?" Tezaki asked with suspicion.

"I said go! I have other men to use, and that seal on your tongue will prevent you from saying anything about this organization. Get out of my sight, Tezaki. Leave and do your foolish saintly acts. It will only bring you despair and death in the end."

Tezaki said nothing as he turned away and left. Danzou scowled at Tezaki and shook his head before he walked back over to his desk and resumed working on the documents.

"Hiruzen..." Danzou mumbled to himself, "...that boy of yours is foolish, just like you, and just like your other son. Fools, the lot of the Sarutobi Clan..."


	10. Memories of a Madman

(Author's Note: Just a warning: this chapter is quite large.)

* * *

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 10:

Madara weakly stood up, the process of doing so sending pain shooting through his body. He winced as he managed to fully stand, and he spat out a small amount of blood.

"Damned Hyugas..." he muttered as he started limping out of the building. They had decided to not pursue him... a wise choice on their behalf. He was about to show them no mercy, but now he was too disabled to continue fighting. What he needed to find was a place to safely rest and recover his body, and that would be difficult with Reiko out for blood. She was a sensor... evading her would be difficult, especially when he needed to remain still.

_If I know her well enough, she'll leap at a chance to strike me dead while I'm debilitated..._ Madara thought grimly. He had managed to drag himself out of the building he was knocked into. He looked at the holes in the other buildings that his body had caused when Tsunade punched him... she certainly was powerful.

"I think... I'll rest at the old Uchiha Temple," Madara said to nobody in particular. The only thing about the "old" Uchiha Temple was that it wasn't old at all. It was a copy of the original temple, which had been at the original area of the village that belonged to the Uchiha clan. But the Uchiha clan had been relocated to a different area of the village because of his actions, and the old site was demolished and turned into a commercial and civilian area. The Senju made him sick with their blatant disrespect towards the Uchiha clan. Their attempt at an apology to the Uchiha was reconstructing the temple in the new Uchiha clan grounds, but it was more insulting than forgiving.

That was where he was heading: the Uchiha temple at the relocated Uchiha clan grounds. Of course, _that_ place had been desecrated by Konoha, as well. Some buildings were turned into houses for civilians or markets, while others had been renovated to make room for apartments or other "necessary" buildings.

In fact, the only reason that the Uchiha temple was still standing was that it brought in great revenue. "Come see the remnants of the great Uchiha clan!" In fact, the only preserved buildings were those that held some significance during the Uchiha Massacre. "Come see where the criminal Itachi heartlessly slew his parents!" Sickening, all of it.

He despised this very village and everybody in it, but he couldn't help but remain attached to it. Sure, you remain attached to something you're actively trying to destroy, but he also always sought information about the latest happenings of the village. And now that he was in the village, he couldn't help but recognize some places where events happened in his past. Memories of old were resurfacing in his mind...

And before he knew it, he had managed to limp all the way to the Uchiha temple. Madara slid open the door and closed it. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a few paper tags with symbols on them. He placed them on the door of the temple, which created a barrier around it that would prevent chakra detection, as well as alert Madara if someone enters the building.

Madara limped to the main chamber of the building, which had a statue of a mythological tengu creature in it. Behind its head was the three tomoe signature of the Sharingan. He gathered a few cushions where Uchihas might have once sat upon while they meditated and laid them in a line. He then relaxed upon the makeshift bed, his eyes drooping as fatigue greeted him.

And as he drifted off into sleep, the memories flooded his dreams.

* * *

_I was currently staring out the window at the lovely garden in our backyard that my wife had grown and tended with her own hands. My eyes were focused on the vegetation and their arrangements, but my mind was elsewhere. It had been nine years ever since the clan wars ended, but the memories of the war were still fresh in my mind. It was no wonder they lingered in my thoughts; I had been born into a warring country, and my entire life was based upon war until nine years ago. And now I was thirty-eight years old, with only nine years to adjust to a life of peace... a normal life. I was still having difficulties doing so._

_I was snapped out of my thoughts as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my neck. I jumped from my sitting position to a standing one as I spun around to see who had snuck up on me. My panic quickly subsided when I saw my wife's face smiling back at me.  
_

_"Don't scare me like that," I sighed as I smiled back at her._

_"You're too jumpy," she said as she lowered her arms and took a few steps away. It was then that I noticed that she was holding a scroll in her hand._

_"What's that?" I asked her as I pointed to the scroll. She looked down at the rolled up parchment in her hands and seemed to realize why she originally approached me._

_"Oh, right! A Senju messenger sent it here. He said it was from Hashirama and that it was important," she said as she handed the scroll to me. I eyed it for a bit before reaching out and taking it._

_Hashirama... that man had been my enemy and rival for a majority of the clan wars, but he was the one that proposed to finally end the war after a certain point. I initially refused his offer to try and make things more advantageous for my clan, but the Uchihas had spoken and they were tired of fighting. Reluctantly, I accepted the truce that ended the clan wars. The clans that survived the war all settled down in various villages and towns across the fighting country, and I had not heard from the Senju in some time. What could Hashirama want? I eagerly unfurled the scroll and began to read._

_"So? What does it say?" my wife asked curiously as she tilted her head. I looked at her with a look of uncertainty._

_"Hashirama is tired of all of the clans living apart. He wants all of the clans and any other people in this country to live in one large village... he wants to unite the clans," I said._

_"All of them?" she asked._

_"Yes, Aimi; all of them. The only clan that will not be a part of this is the Uzumaki clan... Hashirama said that they moved outside of the country and established their own country to the west."_

_"Really? For being such lapdogs to the Senju during the war, I'm surprised that they were able to do something that requires independence," Aimi said with mild surprise. This made me smile._

_"No doubt the Senju had to help them with that, too," I said with a small chuckle. We both laughed for a bit. It was times like these that made me appreciate my dearest Aimi._

_"So... we're going to hold a meeting over this, right?" she asked._

_"The clan needs to know. Personally, I'm content with the way things are right now... but I don't decide everything for the clan."_

_"Well... there are certain advantages to living as a united people," Aimi mused as she stared at the ceiling while placing a finger on her chin in thought, "we'd all live together, and I'm sure there would be economic benefits. Life would be easier, too... with everyone contributing to the needs of the people, food and such would be much easier to obtain."_

_"I suppose... but I'm still weary of it. We will decide tonight... I'm going to schedule a clan meeting. Is that okay?"_

_"Hmm... I was going to work on that painting later today, but it seems like it will have to wait," she said with a small frown, but her voice held no disappointment._

_"What is that painting, anyway? I've always wanted to ask, but I've been busy lately." She often painted scenery and animals, but the glimpses I had seen of the painting had humanoid figures. She was trying something new, and I always enjoyed her work. She was a great painter, and her works always livened up my day._

_"It's us," she said with a coy smile, "but no looking until it's done! I'm almost finished with it... it should take no more than three days before it's done!"_

_"Well, I'll look forward to that," I said with a warm smile, "and I have to go set up the clan meeting now. I'll see you later."_

_I walked over to her and hugged her. She gave me a peck on the cheek and said softly in my ear, "See you later, too," in a suggestive manner. My smile spread as we let go of each other and waved goodbye as he went off to do our tasks._

* * *

_It was almost time for the clan meeting. The Uchiha clan was gathered in the next room, and I was in the room to the left, thinking over what to say to the clan. I am afraid that they may easily align with the Senju on these matters, and we need to take a stand against them. I sighed as I stood up and walked into the room where the entire clan had gathered. When I entered the room, silence overtook the previously chatty Uchihas. I walked in front of a podium, cleared my throat, and spoke._

_"My fellow Uchihas, today I have received a generous proposition from the Senju clan. They wish to unite the peoples of the country in one large village. I am uncertain on how to take this offer, so I ask you all for assistance," I announced._

_"What's so bad about that idea?" an Uchiha man asked._

_"Is it really necessary to all live in one large village? Is it really necessary to change our current lives? I see nothing wrong with the way things are now. And the Senju... they might try to undermine us."_

_I should have never had said that last comment if I wanted to convince the clan to ignore the Senju's proposal._

_"Oh, I see; this has nothing to do with us, does it? You're just untrusting of the Senju!" another Uchiha man exclaimed._

_"You're just being paranoid, Madara! The war is over, and they're not going to do anything to us. They even sought to bring an end to the war!" an Uchiha woman said._

_"You all know that I didn't want to accept the treaty because I strived to end the war so that things ended up as advantageous to our clan as possible, but you chose peace over power. I don't blame any of you for that, and I am just voicing my concerns on this matter. Think of the power we hold right now. The Senju are obviously going to rule this village, and they will decide the fates of our clan and every other clan under their rule!" I explained to my clansmen._

_"He does have a point there... we don't know what this village's government will be like," an elderly man said._

_"Then tell the Senju that we want fairness. That should solve everything," an old woman said. The clan began murmuring amongst themselves, and they seemed to be taking the woman's side._

_"Let us decide here, then," I announced, "all opposed to joining the village?"_

_Very few Uchihas raised their hands._

_"And who would just want to join the village without questioning the Senju's motives and government?"_

_Again, not many Uchihas raised their hands._

_"So I assume that we are to join, but demand fairness and equality for every clan involved in this village?"_

_Almost all of the Uchiha raised their hands and vocally showed their support for this. If the Uchiha clan had a position of power in this village, then maybe it won't be that bad of an idea after all..._

_"Very well! I shall contact the Senju regarding this matter. You all may leave now," I said as I walked back into the room I was in before the speech. I sat down in the chair I was sitting in before the clan meeting and leaned my head back. Even though the meeting was short, it took a lot out of me. I felt great comfort as a pair of hands began to massage my shoulders. I opened my eyes to see my wife smiling down at me._

_"Good job at the meeting, honey," she said._

_"I would have preferred to have convinced the clan to keep things the way they are, but if we can get a position of power in this village, then I don't have any problems with that."_

_"Oh, you speak calmly, but you feel so tense!" she said as she started to massage a particularly tense part of my neck. I sighed in relaxation as her soothing touch removed the pain._

_"I think I'm going to talk with the Hyugas about this tomorrow. No doubt they have received this message, too."_

_"Then that means you'll be gone for a few days, won't it..." Aimi said with a hint of disappointment in her voice._

_"Won't your painting be done by the time I return?" I asked, trying to cheer her up._

_"Well, yes, but if you're going to be gone for a few days because of travel, then it seems that tonight... you know," she said suggestively._

_A grin spread across my face. Tonight would be a good night._

* * *

_After a day's worth of travel, I finally arrived at the Hyuga clan settlement. The travel made me realize that Hashirama had a point in wanting to construct a village; it took far too long to meet with friends outside of your clan settlement,_

_I walked up to the entrance of the gated community. Two Hyuga guards stood watch. As soon as they identified that the person approaching was me, their expressions lightened and they waved at me._

_"Hey, Madara!" one of the guards exclaimed as I walked up to him, "What brings you here today?"_

_"I wanted to talk to Hizuro about Hashirama's proposal."_

_"That? We all agreed last night to support it. Are you against it?"_

_"Not at all; I just want to bring up some concerns I have about the village."_

_"Okay... he's out back playing with his kids. You can enter."_

_The two guards opened the gate, and I headed towards Hizuro's house near the back of the village. It was a beautiful day out, and many of the Hyuga citizens greeted me as I walked by, The Hyuga and Uchiha clans had been great allies for many years, so it was only natural that the people would know the head of the Uchiha clan._

_I soon was at his house, and I walked around the front of the house and into its backyard. There I saw Hizuro Hyuga running around and playing with his two young sons. The boys quickly spotted me and ran up to me._

_"Hey, it's Unky Madara!" the older boy cheered._

_"Unky Madawa! Unky Madawa!" the younger one echoed._

_"Hey there!" I smiled as I bent down and patted their heads, "And remember, I'm not your uncle. I'm your godfather," I added as Hizuro walked over to us. He grinned at his boys as he leaned down to place his hands on their shoulders._

_"Why don't you two go inside for now. I'll play with you later," Hizuro said._

_"Okay!" the two boys shouted as they ran towards their house and went inside. Hizuro stood, turned towards me, and brushed a loose bang of his long and dark hair out of his face._

_"So... what brings you here on this fine day, my good friend?" Hizuro asked as he grinned at me._

_"Well, I heard from one of the gate guards that the Hyugas agreed to Hashirama's proposal... we did, too, but there are some things our clan is concerned about," I said._

_"Such as?" Hizuro asked as he raised an eyebrow with suspicion._

_"All Hashirama's letter said was that the clans and people of the Land of Fire would all be united in a large village. He said nothing about the government of the village," I began._

_"Wouldn't it just be like the separate villages we have now?"_

_"Maybe in some sense, but who would rule the village? What would be the power distribution among the clans? I fear that the Senju may hold too much power in this new village."_

_"Hmm... you do have a point there. Want to ask Hashirama in person? The Senju clan's village is only an hour away from here," Hizuro suggested._

_"Yes, I'd like that... it'd be much easier and quicker to negotiate in person than to keep sending letters back and forth to each other."_

_"Okay, let me quickly write a letter and get a messenger bird to send it to the Senju. We don't want to show up uninvited," Hizuro said as he quickly ran into his house. A few minutes later, he was back._

_"You ready?" he asked._

_I nodded, and we both began to body flicker towards our destination. As we traveled, we caught up on what happened in the few months since being together last. Before we knew it, we had arrived at the Senju clan settlement. Hashirama was already waiting for us at the gate._

_"Welcome, friends!" he greeted as he waved at us while simultaneously beckoning towards the Senju guards to open the gate to his village, "I have received your letter about your concerns. We will discuss this matter in my home. Please follow me."_

_Since it was sundown, most of the Senju were in their homes. We followed Hashirama through the quiet village until we reach his home. It was quite large and extravagant in comparison to the other houses in the village. We entered, and I was taken aback by the immense height of the rooms in the house._

_"Please, sit," I heard Hashirama say. I must have zoned out while marveling at the size of his home to notice that I had still followed him into the room he wanted us to be in. I sat on a chair in front of a desk, with Hizuro next to me. Across the desk sat Hashirama, who was giving us a warm smile._

_Before I could speak, Hashirama addressed the issue I was about to bring up. "I had overlooked something like that when I wrote the letter. I was just eager to notion my idea to the other clans. This isolation we have cannot be good in the long run," he said._

_"So then what did you have in mind for the government of the village?" I asked him._

_"I was hoping to discuss that with the other clans before we constructed the village, but that won't work anymore... well, we are the heads of the three most powerful clans around here... how about we form what the government should be like here and now?"_

_"Sounds good to me," I said with a nod._

_"What is the Uzumaki clan's governing style?" Hizuro asked, "I mean, they made their own village, right? The entire clan had to agree on how that village would be run, then."_

_"They have a central ruler and an advising council that also holds power. They have also allied with the daimyo of the country they are in to gain finances," Hashirama said._

_I was opposed to the thought of being controlled by a daimyo, "I would like to avoid being tied to a feudal lord unless it is absolutely necessary. They are who hired us to fight for control of the country in the first place."_

_"But the feudal lords have all decided on a single ruler, Madara," Hizuro said._

_"And what if that ruler wants to expand this country? What if a feudal lord from this country gets in an argument with another one? Those clashes will make us be dragged out to war once more. I would like this peace to remain for quite some time."_

_"Madara has a point... the Uzumaki sacrificed safety for financial security. But our clans have enough funds to support a village for quite some time," Hashirama said._

_"Well, then should we go with their governing style? It sounds good to me: have the people elect a main ruler, and then have the heads of the clans on this council," Hizuro said._

_"But does the Uzumaki's government work?" I asked. I didn't even know they had formed their own village until recently, and while their governing system sounded like a good one, I had to be sure._

_"Absolutely. We have always had close ties with the Uzumaki, and reports from them show that their village is prospering. Several bands of people in the country have joined their village, and I have heard next to no complaints about the village itself."_

_"Sounds like a winning formula to me," Hizuro said with a small grin._

_"Yes, I suppose that will work. That will satisfy our clans' concerns," I said, "speaking of the clans, have all of the others agreed with this village idea?"_

_As I said that, a large grin spread across Hashirama's face, "It was a unanimous decision by all of the clans. I imagine that there were some concerns like your clans, but now that it has been decided that the clans shall have equal power in the government, I'm sure those concerns will be quelled."_

_"Equal power?" I asked with suspicion, "How can that be if there is an elected leader?"_

_"The clans will all choose one person to be in their council- most likely the leader of the clan. This includes the clan who has their representative elected as leader of the village. But it certainly won't cause any power imbalances, since the leader should look after the village as a whole and not just the concerns of their own clans," Hashirama said._

_"But how can you prevent favoritism towards your own clan? It's only natural," I said as I crossed my arms._

_"Come now, Madara. I don't see anything wrong with it. What harm can a little competition be?" Hizuro said with a small smile._

_"Fine," I sighed._

_"Don't worry, Madara; it will all turn out fine. Are we done here? Are you well-fed and rested? I don't want you two returning to your clans on an empty stomach," Hashirama asked._

_"We're fine," I said. Now that the issue with Hashirama had been resolved, I wanted to return home as soon as possible... but I knew that would take another day. I would have to sleep at Hizuro's house._

_"Very well. I have some letters to write to the other clans. Farewell, my good friends," Hashirama said as he stood and left the room. We stood up as well and exited the Senju clan settlement. As soon as we exited the gates, we began to rapidly body flicker back to the Hyuga clan grounds._

_There was a long period of time where we said nothing, but Hizuro broke the silence. "So... that went well."_

_"Yes," I replied, "I was surprised how cooperative he was with us. That's quite unlike the Hashirama we knew back in the war."_

_"The war was a different time... nearly a decade ago. That's a lot of time for a person to change."_

_"I suppose you're right."_

_"Say... we're both candidates for the leader of the new village, right?"_

_"Yes, we are."_

_"Well, this is probably unsportsmanlike, but how about we ally through this whole election thing? You vote for me, I vote for you. What do you say?"_

_"I swear upon my life," I said with a smile at my good friend._

_"I do as well," Hizuro said as he returned the smile, "and that's good. At least I know someone has my back."_

_"What about your wife?" I asked._

_"That Hashirama's a suave fellow," he joked, "he just might steal her vote."_

_"I think if he's aiming to steal something from your wife, it will be something more than a vote."_

_"Hey! Shut up!"_

_We continued our joking for a bit until it became small talk. We soon arrived at the Hyuga clan settlement at nightfall. He led me to a guest room in his house and made sure that I was completely comfortable. I soon after fell asleep._

_In the morning I awoke and ate breakfast with Hizuro's family. After that, I left the Hyuga clan and headed home. It would not be until mid-afternoon that I returned home. A few Uchiha greeted me as I walked to my house and entered._

_"I'm home!" I called out._

_"Oh! Oh!" I heard Aimi exclaim, "Don't come in here just yet! I'm almost done with the painting!"_

_I smiled at her enthusiasm as I walked into my room and changed into a fresh set of clothes. I walked back into the main room of my house and sat down as I waited for my wife to finish her painting. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. It was good to finally be home after a few days of travel._

_I must have dozed off; because the next thing I knew was that my wife was gently shaking me to wake me up._

_"It's done!" she exclaimed with great excitement. She hurried off into her room, and I stood up from the chair, yawned, and stretched before I walked into the room._

_When I entered, she was standing in front of the easel, her body covering her work. Her eyes held a sense of great accomplishment, and she sported a childlike grin as she stepped to the side to reveal her work with a "Ta-da!"_

_I felt my breath leave me and my jaw drop as I gazed at her painting. It was simply sublime. Her previous works had always been great, but she outdid herself with this painting. The painting depicted the two of us huddled next to each other in front of a campfire outdoors. We were sitting on the ground and looking at each other with a loving gaze and smile. The concept of the painting was simple, but it was the skill of her art that made it so impressive. Our depictions, the lighting, the shadows... it was all flawless._

_"So? Do you like it?" she asked with eager expectation._

_"I don't know why you're asking, love. It would take a fool not to appreciate the splendor of this painting. It's simply incredible," I said as I turned to her with a smile._

_"I'm glad you enjoy it," she said with a small giggle. Was she fully aware of the talent she possessed?_

_"I'm going to hang this up in our living room above the mantle. I'm serious; this painting is astounding."_

_"Really? You think so?"_

_"...I hope you're feigning cluelessness. You've been painting ever since the clan wars ended. You're amazing."_

_"Silly, I know I'm good, but I just don't think I'm as good as you're saying I am."_

_"I'm serious! I love this picture! Say... want to recreate this picture tonight?" I asked with a suggestive grin._

_My wife returned the grin, "I'd be glad to."_

* * *

_It had been a week since my wife showed me her painting. I received a message from Hashirama addressing to the clans just how the village would work. He had not changed his mind since our meeting, since he propositions were either the same or improved since then. He added some clarification about the leader that would be elected: they would be a paragon for the village and the protector of the people. It seems he was hyping up the election by giving such important qualities that the leader needed. The message also mentioned the candidates for Hokage position. There were ten of them, including me: Hashirama and Tobirama of the Senju, Madara of the Uchiha, Hizuro of the Hyuga, Sho of the Aburame, Shiro of the Nara, Inodo of the Yamanaka, Chozu of the Akimichi, Ken of the Inuzuka, and Azoro of the Hatake._

_I found it quite unfair that the Senju had two candidates, but then I remembered the few encounters I had with Tobirama... he was quite different from his older brother. Just like how Izuna was different from me... he was far too kind to give me his eyes when I was becoming blind. If our positions had been switched, I doubt I would have done something that drastic to save his eyesight..._

_I shook the thoughts of my dead brother from my mind, for they would only make me depressed. For now, it was time to do what the message said near the bottom: to travel to the designated area Hashirama has chosen for the village. All of the clan members will be gathered there, and he assures that all of them will have proper housing by the end of the day. I know he can create buildings in record time with that wood release kekkei genkai of his... but the clans will still have to travel back and forth to take their personal belongings with them to this new village._

_Most of the Uchiha clan had departed for the new area. The few left behind were left to guard the village from any bandits or to construct a method to easily transport our belongings to the new village. The site for the new village was the geographical location suitable for a large village closest to the middle of the country. It took just under an hour to arrive there, and I was amazed._

_Never before had I seen such a large gathering of people before. The people had ten distinct groups (including our clan), leading me to believe that the groupings were the nine major clans that survived the clan war, and one grouping of minor clans and non-shinobi that wished to join the new village. The area itself was perfect for a village: it was a large and flat circular clearing in a forest. The north end had a large mountain, and the south end was clear, leaving one entrance and exit, which would be easy to protect. The surrounding forest would provide excellent cover for any potential enemies._

_I heard the all-too-familiar sound of wood bursting from the ground and looked in the direction of the sound. Hashirama had formed a large platform that he was now standing on located in the middle of the gathered people. The people stopped conversing amongst themselves as they waited for Hashirama to speak._

_"First off, let me just say that you have all made me very happy in joining me in this village. I never expected to receive so much support for this idea. I am sure many of you have questions, and I can answer them in due time, but I will answer some prominent questions that I am sure some of you are thinking. Constructing this village will not be a problem at all. Many of you know my famous wood release kekkei genkai. With it, I can easily create buildings and some furniture, but they will all be made of wood. I doubt many of you would want to sleep on a bed without a mattress, live in a village the color of wood, or live in a windowless home. Painters and other artisans are encouraged to help assist in the fine-tuning of the buildings of this village," he announced, his voice echoing throughout the area._

_He continued, "As for your belongings, that is what will make this village's construction arduous. I want to make all of you feel as if this place is home. I wish to make everyone here comfortable. So we will need to transfer farm animals and crops here, and we want the houses to feel and look just like your old houses, if that is your wish. I will make the buildings very basic in design, so they can be shaped into a replica of your old home. We will also need to create and pave roads and streets: that is something my kekkei genkai cannot do. As for where you will be in this village, I have already designated areas in the village for each of the clans, as well as residential areas for the minor clans and non-shinobi citizens. A commercial section will also need to be made. I have also thought of several important buildings for this community, such as a hospital, schools, and other such places. I can answer other questions you might have soon, and I am open to suggestions and complaints. I wish to make this new place comfortable for everyone here. So, let's not delay things, shall we? You came here for a village, and it's about time we have one!"_

_My eyes widened at his ending statement. Was he going to create the village right now? Can he even do that? In my battles with him in the clan wars, I never saw him use his wood release on any level that suggested that he can construct an entire village! Hashirama formed a single hand seal and then placed his hands on the platform he was standing on. There was immense rumbling and shaking as hundreds, if not thousands, of buildings of several shapes and sizes slowly emerged from the ground. Incredible! How much stamina did he have?_

_"I hereby name this new village Konohagakure, or 'Konoha' for short!" Hashirama shouted, his voice heard above the din of the surprised people talking about the village that had just been formed. As soon as he spoke those words, everyone began to cheer. I couldn't help but to cheer as well. Everything seemed like it would turn out perfectly. I don't think anybody had any objections to the village name. "The Village Hidden in the Leaves." Yes, the leaves of the surrounding trees hid it quite well._

_And thus began the construction of the village. The year was almost over, so it was crucial that the homes would be properly furnished before the first snowfall. Everyone in the entire village was working to help everyone else by painting the buildings, reshaping them and adding on to them, making windows to place in the house, making furniture, and several other things. Craftsmen and artisans were making various trinkets and tools to sell, and farmers had moved their animals and tools to the new village and were setting up winter crops. Everyone was also helping the clans move their possessions to Konoha._

_A week had passed since Konoha's creation. Hashirama and a few of the other clan heads had decided that it was an adequate time to begin elections for the leader position- the Hokage, as Hashirama called it. He was getting a bit too interested in naming things in my opinion, but that was just leftover feelings from when we were rivals in the war. We were still rivals now, but it became less of an antagonistic relationship in the era of peace._

_They had decided that the populace would vote on who they would wish to be Hokage every three days, which would mean that it would theoretically take a month to decide the Hokage. The person with the lowest amount of votes would be eliminated from the election, and if there was a tie for the lowest number of votes, both would be eliminated. So this election could take less than a month, but it wasn't likely. We would have to start making speeches after a while, but since people were still busy working on Konoha, Hashirama instead just told the clan heads to write down their goals for the village should they be elected._

_So I did. I received a message prompting me to do so, and I wrote a few sentences of my goals should I become Hokage. Great power; that is what this village should strive for. I knew that forming a great village was a revolutionary idea: other shinobi from different countries would likely emulate it, either following our or the Uzumaki's lead. We needed great power to deter anybody from attacking us. Security and peace is what we needed first and foremost. Once we have those two crucial things, then can we better our lives._

_Later in that day I would receive a small pamphlet showing how the other candidates aspired to shape the village. The pamphlet had an attached voting slip that was simple in design (just use your finger to punch out a hole next to the candidate's name you're voting for), and that also had instructions on where to turn it in- a box in the center of the village, where Hashirama's platform still remained. I had a feeling that I was going to have to make speeches on that platform soon._

_I had already promised to vote for Hizuro, so I punched out a hole next to his name. I was still curious to see what my opponents in this election were like, so I read their goals. Most were fairly basic, and I didn't think that they would win. Of particular note was Shiro Nara. His statement was literally "I'll make this village better somehow. I really can't be bothered with this right now... you should just vote for someone else." I think it was easy to tell who the first person eliminated would be._

_On the opposite spectrum were the people I knew would be challenging opponents: Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hizuro. Hashirama's, as expected, as a reversal of mine: focusing on the prosperity of our village and its people over military force. Tobirama's was an interesting blend of my ideas and Hashirama's, with a few interesting twists thrown in, such as a need for a police force and schools that could teach civilians how to be shinobi. Hizuro's view was very different from the three of us: his primary goal was economic stability. He wanted to ally with the feudal lords for economic security, because without it our economy would be completely self-centered. I had never thought of the feudal lords as helpful elements... Hizuro's reasonings made sense. I found it odd that he never protested my dissent for the feudal lords back when we were discussing things with Hashirama..._

_I didn't exactly agree with his viewpoints, but I promised to vote for him. I'm sure I could persuade him to accept some of my viewpoints in the near future, and he could give me some of his views to consider._

_And, as I had predicted, Shiro Nara was the first candidate eliminated. He seemed somewhat relieved by this news. I guess he wasn't the leader type._

_As the days passed, more and more of the candidates were eliminated, and the village was becoming more refined. Starting from the third vote, we had to give speeches to anyone that attended them. I was no great writer; my speeches were concise and brief, which was a contrast to Hashirama's grandiose speeches. Tobirama and Hizuro both had a middle ground, with Tobirama's speeches being more formal and Hizuro's being more casual. I didn't care for the other clan leaders... I just knew that they wouldn't win._

_And, sure enough, my predictions were correct. After the sixth round of votes, only Hashirama, Tobirama, Hizuro, and I remained in the running for Hokage. Every single time I voted for Hizuro, and he said that he voted for me every time, even though our goals were different._

_The village had come a long way since its inception... it was truly awe-inspiring to see so many people helping each other in constructing the village. Nearly all of the Uchiha clan's possessions had been transferred to the village, and the carpenters of the Uchiha clan successfully shaped our new homes to an almost-perfect duplication of the original homes. The old Uchiha clan village was demolished so the lumber from the old homes could be used on new projects. It was a bit disheartening to leave behind the site of the old village, but it couldn't be helped. All that remained of the old village was the graveyard that held the bodies of past Uchiha._

_Soon it was the night of the seventh election, on the day of the New Year. Tensions were high- any of the four candidates could be eliminated tonight, as we each had separate views that catered to a large populace of the village. We delivered our speeches as usual. Afterward, I approached Hizuro in the crowd of people._

_"Nervous?" I asked with a slight smile._

_"Oh man, you bet I am," he said with his characteristic goofy smile, "Did you vote for me?"_

_"Of course. I've voted for you all of this time, you've asked me this question every single election. I'm not going to betray you now," I said, still smiling._

_"Good... because I voted for you again. Upholding promises is good." Something seemed a bit off with Hizuro... was he okay?_

_Before I could ask him that, Hashirama's voice called out, "Attention everyone!" The crowd became silent as we all turned to the platform in the middle of the village._

_"There is a surprising result tonight: a tie between two of the candidates. The votes have been counted three times to make sure that there is no room for error. The two candidates with the least amount of votes are to be eliminated from the running, and they are...!"_

_What a jerk, pausing for dramatic effect. I could feel a sinking sensation in my chest, as it was possible that I could lose. I knew that Hashirama was safe; he showed no signs of worry at all. That means that either Hizuro or I would be eliminated..._

_"Tobirama Senju and Hizuro Hyuga!" he concluded. The crowd instantly began discussing this turn of events._

_"Shit!" I heard Hizuro curse as he covered his face with his hand in frustration. I felt bad for him... he really wanted to be the Hokage. But now all that remained in my path was Hashirama... this would be a close election. But I couldn't celebrate my victory... I needed to console my friend._

_"Hizuro... I'm sorry you lost," I said lowly, "but don't worry! I'll implement some of your ideas when I become Hokage, and that I promise."_

_"Of course you will..." Hizuro hissed, his voice laden with rage and sarcasm._

_"No, I'm serious! Why would I be lying?" I asked, genuinely confused by my friend's actions._

_"Just leave me be, Madara," Hizuro said as he walked away. What had I done? Did I say something wrong? I wouldn't get the chance to talk to him later; he seemingly disappeared from the village. I became a bit concerned for him, since not even his own family knew of his whereabouts. Ultimately, there was nothing I could do except wait for him to return, so I worked on my final speech._

_On the day before the last election, it was announced that there would be two forms of votes for the last election: the popular vote, and the vote of the high-ranking clan members. Unless there was a vast difference between the votes of the two, then only the high-ranking clan member votes would matter. This was to quickly decide who would be Hokage so the government could be set up, for the popular vote would take far too long to count at this point. More and more people were getting involved in the elections by now, so of course this was not told to the general public. At least I wouldn't have to wait very long to know if I won or if I lost... there were only twenty-seven clan members with enough prestige to be included in the deciding votes, including Hashirama and I. Hizuro was also one of them, but I had still not seen him or heard of his whereabouts. His family did hear word from him yesterday, but they did not tell me anything else._

_And now it was the night of the final election. A building had been prepared for the celebratory party for the Hokage. So they were too busy to count the popular vote, but they weren't busy enough to have a party... it didn't matter; I had nothing to do with this. I entered the small building where the last speeches would be given. Most of the high-ranking clan members were already seated and waiting. Hizuro was not among them. Even as Hashirama and I gave our speeches, Hizuro did not show. My speech was, again, full of brevity- it was only four minutes long. Hashirama's, on the other hand, was nearly half an hour long, giving me plenty of time to worry over if I would win or not. He sat down after the speech, and it was now time to vote._

_I felt a small amount of guilt when I voted for myself, but I was determined to win at this point for Hizuro's sake, and for my own. The slips of paper were placed into a box, and once the votes of the twenty-six people who were present were put in the box, they started to be counted._

_I had never felt so nervous before in my life. Not even on the battlefield have I ever felt this much dread. I could feel the sweat dripping down my forehead, along with my heart rapidly beating like a restrained beast trying to escape. I balled my hand into the tightest fist I could muster in an attempt to calm my nerves, but it was not successful. Still, I dared not relax my hand. I could feel my fingernails pierce into the skin and draw blood, but still my hand remained tightly closed._

_"There is another tie," the counter of the votes said. What? How? How will this election be decided? By the popular vote? My questions were soon answered, "However, I have been told that Hizuro Hyuga is heading back here from a small trip. His vote will be the deciding factor in this election."_

_Normally, I would feel relieved, but I wasn't sure now. He seemed disappointed in me during the last election. Would he break our promise? Why would he do such a thing? All I could do now was wait for him to show up. I loosened up the hand that was in a fist because it hurt far too much. The palm was raw and bloody, so I pulled out a handkerchief from my robes and pressed it against the wound. I could feel my body shake with nervousness as my heart still continued to pound in my chest. I just wanted this election to be over. I lowered my head and closed my eyes. This suspension was tearing me apart._

_A few minutes had passed, and I heard the door of the building open. My head shot up and turned to look at who arrived. It was Hizuro!_

_"Sorry I'm late. An emergency came up three days ago, but I made sure I would be back for this election," he said as he walked over to the empty seat and sat down._

_"There is a tie between the two candidates," Tobirama said, "you are the deciding vote, Hizuro. Choose wisely."_

_"I thought about it on the way here," Hizuro said, "and the Hokage shall be..."_

_This is it. He is going to say my name, and all my worrying will have been for nothing._

_"...Hashirama."_

_...What. Was my anxiety deceiving me? Did he just say what I think he said? My eyes were wide with disbelief as everyone in the building turned to Hashirama and began applauding. This was impossible! Why had he betrayed me? What did I do to him?_

_"Good job, Madara," I heard Hashirama say. I snapped out of it and saw him standing before me, his hand extended towards me, "you were an admirable opponent, and you fought well in this election and made excellent points."_

_I had no words for him. I simply stood up and nodded towards him as I left the building. Hizuro did nothing as I left._

_I saw Aimi standing outside the building amongst a few other people. They were all eager to hear the results, but I could tell that she already knew them by my body language. She walked up to me with a worried look on her face._

_"What? What happened?" she asked._

_"I was betrayed," I replied. She didn't ask anything else, and she let me walk away. I only wish that I had made my devotion to Hizuro and I's friendship clear to him. I only wish I had spoke to my wife after this or said something different. There are so many things that I regret taking place, but this happened so long ago... fifty-six years ago. Hizuro's betrayal was the turning point in my life that would lead me down the path to darkness._

_Hizuro would die on this night._

* * *

_Some time had passed since I returned to my house. Night had fallen (the election took place during the evening), but I knew that the celebratory party for Hashirama would still be happening, and Hizuro was likely there. I had originally just planned to come here to retrieve a weapon, but I also had to plot out how I was going to commit the deed._

_At this point, I was full of hatred. All I wanted was to punish Hizuro for his betrayal. The only problem was that I needed to know why he betrayed me. I had to kill him fast... if we ended up fighting, I don't know who would win. Hizuro is incredibly deadly, able to imbue the chakra point attacking effects of the Gentle Fist fighting style into ninjutsu. I had to kill him quickly and then get out before anyone could notice, so using my Mangekyo was out of the question._

_So I retrieved the legendary Uchiha blade: Juuchi Yosamu. This would be the weapon that would end Hizuro's life. I hid it beneath my robes and went to the location of the party. The people there were too busy having fun or being drunk to notice that I was present. I looked fervently for Hizuro and soon found him sitting in a chair, sipping some sake._

_"Hey Madara!" he called out with a hint of inebriation in his voice as he waved at me, "That sure was a close election!"_

_I glared at him and gritted my teeth tightly to prevent myself from killing him right there. That smug bastard... he was taunting me now!_

_"You promised you would vote for me," I said coldly as I continued to scowl at him, "So tell me why you betrayed me."_

_"_I _betrayed_ you?_ No, I think you have that wrong. _You_ betrayed me," Hizuro said, his expression fading from that of a cheerful drunk to a cold and stern look._

_"And just how is that possible?" I said in a quiet roar as I took a few steps close to him. I had to close the distance to him in case our conversation became too loud and started to draw attention._

_"There was a draw in the second-to-last election. A draw. This was counting everyone who voted, not just a select few. What are the odds of that? All I needed was just one vote. Just one, and I would have still been in the running. So it's obvious that you voted for yourself over me."_

_"That's ridiculous!" I interjected, "Why would I-"_

_"Because," he interrupted, "I remember when we met with Hashirama before the village was made. You said you were opposed to allying with a feudal lord, and that was my goal as Hokage. You disagreed with me and voted for yourself, costing me the election. I know you won't ally with the feudal lords, but Hashirama might! So I voted for him."_

_"You idiot!" I said with anger as I activated my Sharingan, Hizuro was ready to activate his Byakugan in retaliation, but I instead projected some of my memories into his mind. All of the memories I had of my making my votes for him. I could see the realization spread across his face as he saw the truth, but his betrayal was too much for me to forgive. Oh, how I wanted to change this memory projection technique into a Tsukuyomi, but I held back my rage._

_"You promised to vote for me, no matter what," I said in a harsh whisper as I drew closer, "you swore on your life to vote for me. Your unjust suspicion and foolishness led you to this fate, Hizuro. This is nobody's fault except your own."_

_"Madara... I-" he began, but his words died in his throat as I drew Juuchi Yosamu from its scabbard and thrust it into his heart, the blade piercing through his ribs. His eyes quivered with horror as he looked down at the sword entering his chest, and then he looked up at me. Blood was already running down his mouth and his nose. He mouthed one word: "Why?" as he slumped to the ground._

_He was not dead yet, but there was no saving him. He would die of blood loss within the minute. I had delivered retribution! The rush of murder flowed through me, mixing with the madness that developed upon my defeat in the election. The Madara of old died at this moment, and the present Madara rose from his ashes. I had passed the point of no return and had sealed my fate._

_I believe that, in my rush, my next move was to kill Hashirama and usurp the Hokage position. That was a foolish idea: all that would do would turn everyone against me. There was no chance for me to claim my rightful position as Hokage anymore without killing several people and transforming the village into a terrible dictatorship._

_I think I began to further attack Hizuro's dying body. I can't remember for sure, since madness had taken me. What I do remember was my body suddenly becoming restrained and then forcefully impacting the ground, which knocked some sense into me._

_Looking up, I saw Hashirama and Tobirama standing above me with disgusted countenances. Hashirama had likely bound my arms and legs with his wood release and drug me out of the village. I honestly thought I would die here for a moment, but then I noticed that my eyes were still free. I had fought with these two many times in the past: they knew of my Mangekyo Sharingan. They weren't intending to kill me._

_"You... I never expected you would do something so vile, Madara," Hashirama said in a scornful tone, "You killed an innocent man, Madara! You killed your friend? And for what? Just because he didn't vote for you? This government is not a monarchy, Madara! It is an oligarchy! You could have still contributed your ideas to this village!"_

_"He promised to vote for me. He swore it on his life. We made an oath to each other," I said weakly. Tobirama silently glared at me and Hashirama shook his head in disgust._

_"You are pathetic, Madara," Hashirama said, "You let your impulses conquer reason, and now a good man is dead because of that. A wife is now without a husband, and two children without a father. I am letting you realize this fact by exiling you from this village. Never again shall you see your clan or your wife. Nobody you know is left out there, Madara. They have all moved here. If you ever enter this village again, you will be executed on sight. Do you have anything you want to say to him, brother?"_

_Tobirama walked over to me and leaned down until his face was inches from mine._

_"Listen to me, you son of a bitch," he growled lowly as he scowled at me, "you do not understand just how lucky you are in being exiled. If it were up to me, I would kill you right now or have you be stoned to death. I will personally make sure that you will die if you get anywhere _near_ this village."_

_He returned to Hashirama's side, and Hashirama removed the wood binding my arms and legs._

_"Leave," he commanded, "and don't think of fighting back. We are fully prepared to kill you if you retaliate, Madara."_

_I glared at them for a few seconds. I wanted desperately to attack them with my Mangekyo, but I knew it was a losing battle. Even if I killed them, there was no doubt that there were several more people ready to attack. There was no way to win._

_"Hashirama... you hold a position that is rightfully mine," I said in a threatening hiss, "Your days are numbered. I will return and take what belongs to me. You will be one of the first to fall to the fires of my revenge."_

_"Your words are as empty as your soul, Madara," Hashirama said, "Begone!"_

_I turned and walked away from Konoha. I walked away from my life. Everything I owned and everyone I knew... they resided within that village now. My only regret was leaving behind my dear Aimi. The thought of her pain, sorrow, and anger towards me was the only thing that made me regret killing Hizuro._

_All that filled my heart now was a burning hatred aimed towards consuming Konoha in its flames._

* * *

_A few days had passed since my banishment from the village. The moments immediately after my exile were very rough: I could hardly contain my rage, but I needed to keep my cool and find a place to sleep for the night. The solution to that problem quickly presented itself to me in my thoughts. While the old Uchiha clan settlement may seem to be just a cemetery now, there is a secret underground building that few of the clan knew about. That place would be my new home during this time._

_The underground chamber had several books and scrolls entailing the clan's techniques over the ages, and it was equipped with basic household elements. I needed to get new clothes and a steady supply of food, but I would have to go out in public for that. No doubt news of my crime had spread throughout the country, so I had to disguise myself. I doubt most of the towns around here knew what I looked like, so a simple mask covering my mouth would suffice for now, and I would just hide my long hair in my clothing._

_So I spent my days wracking my brain for ways to kill Hashirama and crush his beloved village. Surviving was simple: all I needed to do was use my Sharingan on people, and they would kindly "lend" me their possessions. If some were sufficient in the shinobi arts to resist basic genjutsu, then I would simply kill them. I adjusted well to the lifestyle of a hermit, but trying to find a way destroy Konoha was maddening._

_I read through all of the Uchiha scrolls, hoping for some powerful technique that would assist me. I learned of my grandfather, Adra, and his great accomplishments. He had been a Hyuga, but he had somehow transformed his doujutsu and created the curse of the Uchiha blood: that Uchiha siblings that inherit the Sharingan are capable of obtaining the Mangekyo Sharingan and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. I learned things that not even I knew the Sharingan was capable of. Jutsus utilizing the mysterious Yin and Yin-Yang elements, along with the terrifying powers of the Mangekyo Sharingan. The powerful flames of Amaterasu, the ultimate genjutsu Tsukuyomi that has powers based on the chakra of the user, and a jutsu unique to each Mangekyo user. I had always wondered why my brother's technique was different from my own. I also learned of the forbidden skill Izanagi that apparently required Senju blood... why was that?_

_I also found out my weapon for destroying Konoha: the terrifying Nine-Tailed Fox. This beast was one of nine that roamed the continent, wreaking havoc wherever they went. The Kyuubi has been dormant for quite some time, and some think the fox is simply a legend. I know that is not true- I myself have laid eyes on the fox once, but I do not think it will be in the same location now. I learned in the Uchiha scrolls that my Mangekyo Sharingan can control the Kyuubi, but the scrolls made no mention of the other tailed beasts, which I found particularly odd. Was the fox involved in my grandfather's conversion from a Hyuga to the first Uchiha?_

_Regardless, I now knew that I needed to obtain the Kyuubi, but I would need more than that. Hashirama is capable of controlling bijuu; the control of the fox might be pulled from me. Fighting Hashirama and Tobirama together will be a challenge for me, even if I had the fox on my side. I would still have an entire village against me, and I heavily doubt I could convince the Uchiha to join forces with me. I don't think even Aimi would listen to me. It seemed as if nobody alive would ally with me..._

_Wait... nobody alive! That was it!_

_In the clan wars, I was known as "Madara the Necromancer" because of a unique jutsu I had developed. It enabled me to temporarily resurrect corpses to extract any information that the person might have found out before they died. What if I transformed that technique into an offensive one? I had plenty of Uchiha corpses to experiment on, but I needed an army against Konoha..._

_What if those killed by these corpses would rise up as one of their own? There were so many brilliant ideas surrounding this jutsu, and I went hard to work developing them, occasionally traveling to various taverns and inns around the country for any rumors about the Kyuubi's whereabouts._

_It took me a good, long three years, but both of my goals were accomplished. I had successfully created my new jutsu, and I had located the area where the Kyuubi dwelled._

_I called my jutsu "Communion of Tortured Souls." It is not a perfect technique, but it is sufficient. The jutsu creates a toxic gas that enters the body and takes control of their chakra system, giving the body the jump-start to reactivate their organs and systems partially. I call the resurrected dead "zombies." These zombies are not intelligent, and their only form of communication seems to be growls, moans, and the like; but I can control them and give them simple commands. They are slow and lumbering creatures and are incapable of wielding any weaponry or using any jutsu, so I had to work around these limitations. I made it so that they crave the flesh of the living, for their strongest features are their hands and teeth. I made their cursed chakra able to be spread through the fluids of the zombie, most often through bite and saliva. The cursed chakra will quickly spread throughout the infected's system before taking it over and making them one of the walking dead. For some odd reason, even though their body is fresh, they are just like any other zombie. Another odd thing is that the eyes of all zombies are a pure white color. These features were unable to be removed, but I grew to like them despite the setbacks they gave me (those setbacks being a lack of versatility and an easier way to identify a zombie, respectively)._

_Another great thing about this jutsu is the fact that the zombies are invincible. The cursed chakra that flows throughout them slows the process of decay, and it controls just the necessary amount of systems. They cannot feel pain, or at least show no reaction to it. They cannot die from any bodily injuries. Even decapitation cannot truly kill them! The only way that they can die is through the destruction of the brain, which is what the cursed chakra uses to control the body and maintain the state of pseudo-life. I wish I could make them completely invincible, but two weaknesses that are known only to me is still a great advantage. But the greatest part of this jutsu is that a zombie will not hesitate to attack anyone they have recognized in life. I confirmed this by using my jutsu on a small village and zombifying the entire populace. They also do not require any sustenance that the living do. Food, drink, rest: all unneeded to a zombie. I have created a soldier that the world has never seen before! A soldier that cannot feel pain! A soldier that does not have any downtime! A solider that does not kill; only recruits!_

_By now, I had the bodies of the dead Uchiha left over from my experiments and the populace of the aforementioned village in my undead army. There was enough room in the underground chamber to cram them in so that they can remain hidden as I sought out the Kyuubi._

_It took a few days, but I found the cave that was rumored to be where the Kyuubi was slumbering. The tailed beasts were mysterious creatures... nobody knew exactly how they worked or why they went into hibernations that lasted decades. They are said to be made of chakra, but they don't seem to be completely composed of it..._

_I used a simple fire jutsu to create a source of light that hovered above my hand as I delved into the cave. After exploring for a while, I heard the sounds of a sleeping beast. I followed them, and was soon in a massive room in the cave that housed the Kyuubi. The fox was curled up in a deep sleep._

_The fox was enormous, towering several stories high. It was intimidating to face this beast, but I had the Sharingan on my side. I cleared my throat. The Kyuubi stopped snoring, but it wasn't entirely awake._

_"O great beast!" I bellowed, my voice echoing through the cave, "I demand your cooperation!"_

_The fox opened up its blood-red eyes and glared at me while it bared its fangs._

_**"WHO DARES ENTER MY LAIR?"**__ the fox said, its voice booming and causing the cave to shake and rattle._

_"Did you not hear me? I demand your assistance!"_

_**"WHO ARE YOU TO THINK THAT YOU CAN DEMAND ME TO DO ANYTHING FOR YOU?"**__ the fox asked as it started to stand up. I had to act quickly before the beast attacked me._

_"I AM MADARA UCHIHA! BOW TO MY WILL, FOX!" I shouted as I activated my Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and stared into the eyes of the Kyuubi. Its eyes visibly changed shape, showing that the skill was a success. I then spent a bit of time forming a summoning pact with the Kyuubi, so I could catch Konoha by surprise._

_I soon left the cave, leaving the Kyuubi spellbound inside. I didn't fear it breaking free of the powerful genjutsu. Even if it did, I could just summon it and reapply the genjutsu. All that was needed now was a bit more manpower..._

_I returned to the site of the old Uchiha clan settlement and removed my small undead army from the underground chamber. I suited up in old Uchiha battle armor. I began moving towards Konoha, my army following me. I would make purposeful diversions to convert the populace of any villages that were on the way to Konoha. It gave me a higher chance of being discovered, but I needed more troops for my army. The war against the Leaf would soon begin..._

* * *

_I had now amassed an army of zombies numbering in the hundreds. I marched towards Konoha, staying in the middle of the undead ranks. It was hard moving forward when they could hardly walk in a straight line, let alone move themselves, but I couldn't risk being in the front or the back of the army. I would be too recognizable and would risk myself getting killed by a ranged attack. And if I died, I wasn't sure if my zombies would remain animated or not._

_The gates of Konoha were soon in view. They were closed... but luckily I had some firepower of my own. I rushed towards the gates while forming the hand seals needed for summoning. I slammed my hands on the ground and was suddenly lifted several stories up in the air as the Kyuubi appeared underneath me. With a flick of one of its nine tails, the gates were destroyed. I telepathically commanded my undead army to swarm the village, and I reverse summoned the Kyuubi. I could not risk it being defeated yet. I landed on a rooftop and began to body flicker towards the building under the mountain: the Administration Building, which was also the Hokage's residence._

_As I approached the entrance, I noticed that there were no guards about. They were likely confronting my zombie forces, leaving this building mostly unguarded. A smirk appeared on my face as I quietly entered the building. As soon as I stepped in, a saw a man in a gray flak jacket wearing a mask running towards me. I quickly pulled out a small tanto from my robes and moved behind the man, pressing the blade up against his neck._

_"Where is Hashirama?" I whispered._

_"T-Third floor... the room with the double doo-" the man began, but I slit his throat before he could finish. I had no time to lose. I quickly ran up the long flights of stairs that led to the third floor, killing any of the masked men that came my way. I don't think they knew that I was in the village- they were likely moving out to face my army._

_I was soon in front of the double doors... Hashirama's office, most likely. I quietly turned the doorknob and cracked open the door. I could see three of the masked men speaking with Hashirama. The very sight of him made me want to burst in and kill him, but I kept my anger under control as I listened in._

_"We're serious! They are inhuman, and they seem to be dead by all means!" one of the masked men exclaimed._

_"Nothing we can do is stopping them! They just keep coming!" another cried._

_"And... they _eat_ the living! Tear right into them! And those killed by them rise back up, just like them!" the last said. Hearing the terror in their voices was delightful._

_"Don't worry! I will not let the village fall to these abominations! Let's go!" Hashirama stated with determination as he rose from his chair. I quickly formed some hand seals and kicked open the door before firing three large fireballs that engulfed the masked men. They cried out in pain for a few seconds before the flames killed them. Our eyes then met._

_"Madara! I just _knew_ you were behind this!" Hashirama indignantly exclaimed, "So killing Hizuro wasn't enough?"_

_"Hah! Were you deaf when I was exiled three years ago? I promised to destroy this village, and I never break my promises!" I shouted with a mad grin on my face._

_Hashirama glared at me as we stood there in silence momentarily. We were both plotting our next moves._

_"Fine, how about this: we will duel to the death with no interruptions. That should satiate your childish lust for revenge. There is only one condition: I pick the location of the battle," Hashirama stated._

_That meant that I wouldn't get to use the Kyuubi more on the buildings of the village, but I was confident that my army would overwhelm the people of the village. And there would be no interruptions from anyone else, practically securing my victory! I jumped at his offer. "Very well... I accept."_

_Hashirama opened a window in his office and, without saying anything, leaped out of it. I quickly pursued him and saw him on the ground below before he body flickered away. I chased him for what seemed to be hours, but not once did I think of turning back. I was determined to kill Hashirama, and I would follow him to the ends of the earth if that is where he wished for the duel to occur._

_After quite some time, he stopped. We were on a large rocky plateau._

_"About time you stopped, Hashirama! Why exactly did you lead us here?" I asked._

_"I knew that if we fought in Konoha, it would be destroyed in the following clash. To protect not only the village, but the other people in the Land of Fire, I lead us all the way to the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields, where nobody in several miles live," he said._

_"Aren't you melodramatic?" I sneered at him._

_"You mock me, yet you have no idea of how pathetic you are! You kill Hizuro because he voted for me over you! Your clan has abandoned you ever since, Madara! They side with us now! Even your wife has abandoned you!"_

_"DON'T MENTION HER, YOU SCUM!" I cried out as I summoned my gunbai fan and the Uchiha sword Juuchi Yosamu. I placed the sword in an empty scabbard at my side as I slipped the kusarigama attached to the fan's handle up the sleeve of my robe._

_"I'm surprised you care about her when you've endangered her and your entire clan with those abominations you've created!"_

_"SHUT UP!" I screamed as I swung my fan at Hashirama, causing a powerful blast of wind to rocket towards him. Hashirama caused a large wall of wood to rise up from the ground. The gust crashed into it, causing the wall to break at the bottom. It fell towards Hashirama, but I saw him jump out of the way as it crashed against the ground. I activated my Sharingan and tracked his movements. He unsheathed a katana at his side and charged towards me. So he wanted to engage in taijutsu?_

_I placed my fan in my other hand as I tugged on the chain attached to the fan's handle. The sickle attached to the chain fell from my sleeve, and I began to swing the chain about. Before Hashirama could dodge, I threw the sickle at him. He pivoted his feet so his shoulder plates blocked the sickle, and then he used his free hand to grab the chain and pull me near. I dropped my fan and swiftly unsheathed Juuchi Yosamu, and our blades clashed together, sending a shower of sparks falling to the ground. How could this be? My sword should be able to cut anything! I didn't show my surprise to Hashirama as I spoke._

_"I'm impressed that your sword wasn't cleaved in two by my legendary sword," I said as I stared at Hashirama's blade. Could it be...?_

_"This sword is the sister sword to the Uchiha's Juuchi Yosamu. It is the Yawarakai-Te. Both swords were crafted by the legendary swordsmith Muramasa Masamune. It seems it is fate that both blades would end up doing battle with each other," he explained, confirming my suspicions. He then moved his blade back before thrusting it at an unarmored area of my torso. I moved my arms to block Hashirama's second attack. I slid my sword off of his blade and nicked his leg, drawing a small amount of blood. He then jumped back and sheathed his sword._

_"This battle isn't going to be decided by these swords, Madara," he said. I nodded and sheathed Juuchi Yosamu. I picked up my gunbai fan and strapped it to my back. My weapons still had their uses in this battle, especially my sword. While the two blades that Hashirama and I possessed may have been crafted by the same swordsman, the one he wielded was the older one: it was less refined, and there was no doubt that it lacked the power that Juuchi Yosamu held within..._

_Hashirama began forming hand seals, and I did the same. He used an earth jutsu that caused several large stalagmites to burst from the ground. From his point of view, it would seem as if I was swallowed by the attack, but I noted what hand seals he was using with my Sharingan, so I knew he would use an earth jutsu. My lightning dragon jutsu easily crashed through the rocks and rushed towards Hashirama, who quickly raised yet another wall of wood to block the attack. I leaped from the large hole in one of the stalagmites in front of me to see that Hashirama had turned the wooden wall into several large wooden spikes that were now rushing towards me. I took my gunbai fan and swung it, sending a large gust of wind that stopped the momentum of the spikes._

_I took this chance to go on the offensive. I used an earth jutsu that caused a powerful shockwave to spread out and cause several cracks in the ground. I quickly followed it up with a fire jutsu that surged throughout the cracks, heating the ground and sending pillars of flame shooting up from the cracks in the earth. The flames then rushed towards Hashirama, who created a jet of water that pushed him up off of the ground and then exploded, sending water raining down over the battlefield to quell the flames and cool the ground. He landed on the ground and used another water jutsu that dragged forth the water underground and it coalesced into a large ball that hovered above him. He then formed the many hand seals for the water dragon jutsu at lightning speeds, and I used an earth jutsu to form a wall of rock before the dragon reached me. I tried holding up the wall, but the force of the water jutsu was causing it to crack. I had no choice now..._

_I formed the seals needed for a summoning jutsu and brought forth the Kyuubi. It let out a menacing roar as the water dragon bullet crashed harmlessly against the fox's body. I stood atop the beast's back as its tails thrashed about in the air. If only I could see Hashirama's reaction from up here!_

_"Attack, Fox!" I commanded to the Kyuubi, and it growled as it began swinging its tails at Hashirama. They collided with the ground, causing large craters to form upon their impact. With my Sharingan I could track Hashirama's swift movements as he avoided every tail swipe made by the Kyuubi... but how long could he keep this up?_

_"Burn him until there is nothing left," I said to the Kyuubi. The fox stopped its assault and charged up a massive ball of chakra hotter than the flames of most fire jutsu. Hashirama took this moment to form several hand seals and cause several massive trees and roots to sprout from the ground, ripping the land apart as they emerged from the earth. Foliage now surrounded us, and there were several branches and roots for Hashirama to stand upon, many of them at a height matching the Kyuubi's size. His efforts to reach me were ultimately futile, as the Kyuubi had finished charging up its devastating attack. It ingested the ball of chakra it had formed and then spat it out as a powerful beam of energy. The beam engulfed Hashirama and much of the giant tree that he was currently standing on. I grinned, seeing no way that he could have survived that attack. Victory was mine!_

_The smoke from the blast faded, and I was dumbfounded to see that he had an incredibly thick tree to block the attack! The tree then shattered into thousands upon thousands of wooden spikes that sped towards me. The Kyuubi moved its tails to shield me as the spikes harmlessly batted against the fox's fur, most of them burning up before they even contacted the Kyuubi due to its intense chakra. The Kyuubi lowered its tails, and I could now see Hashirama. He was standing on a large branch with a big scroll in his hands. He unfurled the scroll, summoning ten swords by his side. What was he planning to do with those?_

_I mentally ordered the Kyuubi to charge up another chakra sphere, all while I kept a close watch on what Hashirama was doing. He made some hand seals, and the swords suddenly vanished in puffs of smoke. What was he planning?_

_I cursed when I heard the Kyuubi make a pained growl. It continued to charge the ball, and I mentally demanded it to work faster. I turned around to see that all nine of the fox's tails were pinned to the ground by the swords. But where was the tenth?_

_"Your weapon is gone, Madara," I heard Hashirama shout at me. I whirled around in enraged surprise to see him standing on the Kyuubi's head. The chakra ball had vanished, and he was holding the tenth sword, which was imbedded inside of the fox's skull. He then made several more hand seals._

_"While I didn't expect you to violate the dead in your eventual attack upon Konoha, I did expect you to use a tailed beast," Hashirama said. He finished the jutsu, and the crystal necklace he wore began to glow. He jumped off of the fox, and I did the same as I felt it began to vibrate. I watched in disbelief as the fox began to bubble and split apart into ten different blobs of chakra that got sucked into each of the swords, which then vanished once more in puffs of smoke. How did he manage to seal the fox all by himself?_

_I turned towards Hashirama and glared at him as I thought of my next move. His face was stern, but I could feel the underlying smugness he seemed to be projecting. The battlefield was ruptured by the Kyuubi and the forest Hashirama created. The only flat surfaces seemed to be Hashirama's trees and roots, along with the large river of underground water that had been surfaced during the devastation of our battle. It would be unwise to fight on Hashirama's trees, as he could manipulate their shape... but the same could be said for the river, too. I had to take my chances with the river. I body flickered over the running body of water and collected chakra under my feet to stand on the liquid._

_"You may have stopped the fox, but I still have the upper hand!" I taunted, "I have many jutsu that you are unaware of, and my dead are most likely ravaging your precious village!"_

_Hashirama glowered at me. That got his blood boiling again. He followed me, turning one of his arms into a large bludgeon made of wood and covered in several spikes. He swung his arm at me, and I sidestepped it and unsheathed Juuchi Yosamu. I slashed the sword at his arm, hoping to sever it, but the wood changed shape so that I cut off only a section of the arm, which turned into chakra upon hitting the ground. His arm turned back to normal, and he quickly casted a jutsu that made the water around me rise up before rushing towards me at great speeds. I smirked and formed a one-handed seal as the water approached me._

_Hashirama would think his attack connected until he noticed the large blade-shaped rock splitting the water so that it harmlessly fell besides me. I swung Juuchi Yosamu, flicking the water off of its large rock-encased blade._

_"Surprised? Juuchi Yosamu is more than a fine sword: it is able to channel elemental chakras through it more efficiently than any other weapon!" I boasted as I swung the sword vertically at Hashirama. He caused a tree trunk to sprout from the ground to block my attack, but it was futile. While he successfully stopped the momentum of the earthen blade, I simply made the rocky cover shatter and used another one-handed seal to make the blade burst into flame. The fire easy burned through the wood and I began madly swinging the sword, causing fire to fly everywhere._

_A few of the flames singed Hashirama, and I could tell by his expression that he was through playing around. He was ready to use nothing but his strongest attacks. I removed the fire sheathe around and the blade and applied lightning chakra to it, determined to cut Hashirama and completely fry him by channeling massive amounts of electrical chakra through him. I was surprised when he did not move and simply began forming large amounts of hand seals. I smirked and ran towards him, but my smirk faded as I fell down a few feet and hit the ground. The ground? But we were on water!_

_I looked up to see that Hashirama had sucked up the entire river that we were fighting on! He had used a similar jutsu earlier in the fight, but I had no idea he could use it on such a scale! He had a single arm raised above him, the massive sphere of water floating inches above it. He glared at me as he made a throwing motion with his arm, causing the massive sphere to rocket towards me. If I was hit by that much force... I had to dodge or block this attack somehow! But how? I wouldn't be able to move fast enough to get out of the massive radius of the attack..._

_The solution suddenly entered my head. I activated my Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and focused chakra through my right eye._

_"AMATERASU!" I yelled for dramatic effect as a substantial amount of black fire shot from my eye and quickly grew in size to match that of the giant orb of water. The two techniques clashed, but the fires of Amaterasu caused the water to start to evaporate. The water suddenly fell to the ground, essentially returning most of the river to its proper place. By that time, I had jumped up on a relatively smooth rock, so I wasn't drowned by the water as it rushed by where I once was. Hashirama must have canceled the jutsu when he saw that there was no way the water would beat the fires of Amaterasu, and I did the same._

_"So you've finally begun to use your Mangekyo Sharingan," Hashirama said, "Then I must end this battle now!"_

_He slammed his hands to the ground. I felt a gigantic surge of chakra beneath me, and I knew that I had to move _now!_ I focused my chakra in my legs to enhance my jumping prowess. I leaped into the air and looked down to see most of the battlefield erupt into thousands of sharp wooden trees. He must have noticed that I had jumped, for they began to grow at an alarming rate. Once they were near me, they began sprouting several spiky branches. I used my great speed to jump from branch to branch, avoiding every sharp tip that attempted to skewer me. I formed a single hand seal amidst my dodging, inhaled, and spat out a large amount of fire. I would have used Amaterasu again, but its flames were unique and burned slowly. Fire made from chakra would act much faster. As I fell to the ground, I saw the massive tower of spiky wood get encroached within fire. I pooled chakra beneath me feet to cushion my landing._

_"It's over, Hashirama!" I mocked the visible exhausted Hokage, "You've used up too much chakra trying to destroy me, while I still have about half of mine left!"_

_"That may be..." he responded as he formed a combination of hand seals that I had never seen before, "...but victory is still mine! Bringer of Darkness!"_

_Hashirama announced the name of a jutsu. That was not a good sign. My eyes widened in shock as darkness encroached the battlefield. I tried using my Sharingan to see through the chakra, but it didn't work! All I saw was a huge field of chakra that was the darkness! I felt my body become restrained as wood formed beneath me and wrapped around my body, leaving only my neck and head fully exposed. I didn't even detect the chakra of the wood approaching me!_

_"It's pointless to struggle, Madara," Hashirama said, his voice echoing through the black, preventing me from pinpointing his location. He continued, "I developed this genjutsu specifically to counter the Sharingan. I knew that you would return to destroy the village one day, so I had to make this jutsu as a trump card. You have lost, Madara. You cannot reverse this genjutsu, and you cannot break free of my restraints. All I want you to do is listen to me before I kill you."_

_Damn it all! Was this really the end? I refused to die to this man! I was _not_ going to die here! He was giving me time to think of how to escape from this... I can still win if I can figure out a way to break free..._

_"I want you to realize the gravity of your choices before you die Madara, because I still don't think you do. It was a surge of anger, a spur-of-the-moment thought, that caused Hizuro to die. I do not know what caused him to vote for me, but the point is that I won. But the rage caused by Hizuro's betrayal gave you the indication that the Hokage spot is rightfully yours. It isn't. I won the election fairly. The Hokage position is mine, Madara, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. Killing me will result in nothing! Open your eyes and see how foolish and childish you are being!" he said._

_"Do you even realize how many people trusted you?" He continued, "How many people looked up to you? Preferred you over me? Nearly half of the voters! Your clan, too! You have been their leader for several years, and now you have utterly disgraced your name among your own clan! Through a foolish quest for unnecessary revenge, you have betrayed far more people than Hizuro ever did. You shattered their perceptions of a powerful military leader, replacing them with a madman. Your own wife was torn apart by your exile, Madara! Did you even stop to think of her when you planned to kill Hizuro? And your brother? What would he think of this if he were still alive? Did you think of _anybody? _No. No you did not. All you thought about was yourself. You didn't even think of the consequences! You didn't even care about how your clan would be viewed by the populace. You just left them to clean up the mess that your actions left on the Uchiha name."_

_"That is what makes us different, Madara. I have noticed it many times in the past, but I never thought that it would manifest in this way. All you care about is yourself and your interests. Other people are just means to your ends. Do not try and deny it; why else would you drag out the clan war? You claimed it would better the Uchiha's standing amongst the clans, but what you really meant is that it would increase your power. Hizuro himself was just a tool for you to gain Hokage. Why else would you hold the promise he made to vote for you to a ridiculously high standard such as life and death? Even Izuna-"_

_As soon as I heard my brother's name, my building anger exploded, "SHUT UP! DON'T YOU SPEAK OF MY BROTHER!" I screamed._

_"Even Izuna was a tool to you, Madara!" he continued, ignoring me, "Why else do you have that special variant of the Mangekyo Sharingan? Don't think I didn't notice the designs of both your and Izuna's Sharingan combined! I don't know what you did to your brother, but it would certainly explain the sudden loss of his eyes!"_

_"HE SACRIFICED HIS EYES SO THAT I COULD SEE AGAIN! IT WAS HIS KIND HEART THAT CAUSED HIM TO GIVE UP HIS EYES! I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!" I shrieked._

_"Are you sure? Or is that what you've just convinced yourself? The point I am making here, Madara, is that we have two different ideologies. In retrospect, I am glad that you never obtained the Hokage position. You would have just led the village to ruin. All your care about is yourself, but I care about all of the people of Konoha! All of the people I have sworn to protect! I am fighting for all of them, so that they can continue to live out their lives!"_

_"It's monsters like you, Madara, that prevent mankind from living together in harmony. People like you do not want peace. Through whatever motives, they want power, and power can only quickly be gained by putting others down. You tried hiding the beast that dwelled within you, but it was pulling the strings you had tied to others. Your existence is focused on causing pain, misery, and death to others, so long as you benefit from the results. Loathsome insects like you are the parasites of humanity that prevent us from achieving true peace."_

_He was done speaking. I thought he was spewing nonsense at first, but everything he said made sense. Now... now I see why he was made Hokage. I loathed this man and respected him as well, but he was arrogant. His righteous feelings made him arrogant, and I would rip that high and mighty feeling right out of him and crush it in front of his face. I knew how to escape. I struggled with the wood that bound my body. If I could just get my hands close together..._

_"I already told you not to struggle, although perhaps now you are desperate to live. It's too late for that, Madara. You signed your death warrant as soon as you killed Hizuro. I only exiled you so you could reflect on your mistakes, but I realize that I was being far too generous. Tobirama was right; I should have executed you on the spot. Well, I am going to mend that mistake right now."_

_I felt the cold steel of Hashirama's blade touch my neck. I was not worried; the wood binding me was not as strong as usual... his chakra was weakened from our battle, and I had managed to moved my hands around enough to move Juuchi Yosamu slightly out of its sheathe. It was able to cut through some of the wood as I pressed it against the blade. When my arms were free, I made a small cut on my hand, mixing my blood with Hashirama's blood that I had drawn from him early in the battle._

_"Do you have any last words?" Hashirama asked me, "Especially for Aimi?"_

_"Do you know of the forbidden technique Izanagi?" I asked as I finished the hand seals needed for the jutsu. A wide grin spread across my face as I imagined the fear plastered on his face as I spoke. Izanagi was a skill used by the Sage of the Six Paths, who is thought to be a legendary figure. He may have been, but the Uchiha scrolls contained this jutsu! All it needed was a mixture of Uchiha and Senju DNA._

_Hashirama moved his sword to decapitate me, but it was too late; Izanagi had been activated. I phased through the attack, as well as through the wooden restraint. As soon as I escaped, I canceled the technique. I could not risk the side effects of the powerful jutsu, but all I needed was to break free. I had won the battle._

_While I still could not see or properly hear, I knew that Hashirama was near me. And since I could not reverse or dispel this genjutsu, I would have to disrupt Hashirama's chakra. And what better way of doing that than with the ultimate genjutsu? I poured chakra into my left Mangekyo._

_I felt the Tsukuyomi connect, and the darkness quickly faded. I had trapped Hashirama in the strongest genjutsu!_

_"It seems that I am victorious in the end, Hashirama," I said sardonically, "And I shall punish you for making such nasty assumptions and implications about my brother."_

_And punish him I did. I made Hashirama go through various grueling beatings and tortures while he was trapped within Tsukuyomi's realm. Being cut by many blades, being burned alive, being vivisected... I unleashed all of my rage into the man until I was satisfied. I canceled the genjutsu, and Hashirama fell to the ground, in shock at the sheer amount of torture he had gone through: a day's worth of nonstop torture that had passed by in mere seconds in the actual world._

_But reflecting upon what he had said made me angry again. Mental pain wasn't enough for me. I had to actually deliver the blows here. I kicked Hashirama sharply in the gut, causing him to snap out of his state of shock._

_"Now I am going to use Izanagi's counterpart: my unique Mangekyo technique. I call it Izanagi's counterpart because while Izanagi affects only the user, this technique affects everyone _except_ the user. I shall now show you the power of Izanami!"_

_I poured chakra into both of my eyes. I could feel some strain on my body as I used Izanami, but I was determined to make Hashirama suffer before he died. Izanami was an incredibly powerful jutsu, and I had not mastered it, let alone approached anywhere near being efficient with it. All I knew how to do was slow everyone else except me to a crawl, and that is what I did._

_I cracked my knuckles as I walked towards the hapless Hashirama, his face frozen with an expression of fear. I slammed my fist into his face, relishing at experiencing the blow in slow motion. I continued beating up on him for quite some time until that got boring. I decided to end it by unsheathed Juuchi Yosamu. I made quite a few cuts throughout his body, and then I rose the blade up. I deactivated Izanami and swung the blade down on Hashirama's left hand, cleaving it off of his body. He howled in pain, from both the sudden hand loss, and from the sensation of several beatings and cuts still flowing through his body._

_"YOU'RE ALL TALK, HASHIRAMA!" I exclaimed with mad glee at my battered and bruised enemy, "WHAT GOOD WILL YOUR WORDS DO NOW?" I prepared to use Amaterasu on him to watch him scream in pain as the flames slowly burned him to death. Before I could launch the black flames from my eye, I was knocked to the ground by a blast of water. I looked towards the direction of the jutsu and I felt my confidence plummet._

_Tobirama stood before me, his face contorted with rage. Behind him were some of the masked men in gray. Tobirama beckoned for a few of them to tend to Hashirama, and for the rest to stay back._

_"What the _fuck_ did you do to him, Madara?" Tobirama spat at me, his question sounding more like a statement of disbelief that I defeated Hashirama rather than a genuine question._

_"I... almost killed him. I was about to deliver the final blow until YOU FUCKING SHOWED UP!" I howled in fury as my eyes bulged with ferocity._

_"It's over, Madara," Tobirama said with a quiet growl, "We figured out how to stop your undead army."_

_WHAT? How was that possible? My creations were foolproof! How did they figure out...? NO! THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! KONOHA WAS SUPPOSED TO FALL!_

_"DIE DIE FUCKING DIE!" I shouted in lunacy as I launched Amaterasu from my right eye. It hit nobody; they all dodged it. Tobirama pulled out two scrolls and summoned several weapons, launching them at me. My desperate Amaterasu had reduced my chakra to critical levels... I couldn't dodge. Wait... there was a way out of this! I would live after all! I quickly activated Izanagi once more. To the Konoha shinobi, the weapons would appear to pierce into me. I faded away from that position and reappeared out of sight from any of the Konoha ninja. I deactivated Izanagi, but before the illusionary body of me faded, I applied a normal genjutsu to maintain it. By this point, I was virtually empty on chakra, so I limped away from the battlefield._

_Damn it all! I was so fucking close to killing Hashirama! To destroying Konoha! So fucking close! Damn it all! DAMN IT ALL!_

_I closed my eyes and took many deep breaths. I had to look at the bright side of things: I was still alive. I could have very well died in the battle. And as long as I lived, I could still enact my revenge. My vengeance had grown since this battle. I was no longer concerned with something petty like killing one man and taking a position that was rightfully mine. Even my goal to destroy Konoha was just to make Hashirama suffer. I despise Hashirama so much that my hatred transcends the general meaning of the term. I wanted to destroy the village that he convinced everyone to join. I want to remove the Senju from the world, to make them extinct. I want to ruin the Hyuga by cutting them down. The Uchiha were all traitors and had to be punished. My goal was now to annihilate Konoha and everyone within. None shall be spared from my wrath... nobody except Aimi._

_I sighed as I thought of my wife. I didn't know how she felt about my exile or what she was doing right now. She was the only remaining person that prevented me from going all out. I had commanded my zombies not to harm her... I hope she still feels for me, because I feel for her. I need to speak with her some time. I have to set things straight. Our bond cannot end because of my exile..._

_I shook the unsettling thoughts from my head as I slowly limped back to my home, the small underground chamber. I needed to rest, and I needed new ideas to destroy that damn village._

* * *

_I would learn in the following year that there were several advantages and drawbacks to the unexpected outcome of the battle Hashirama and I had. For one: the entire country was convinced that I had died. This was a blessing and a curse. It was a curse because I had no idea how Aimi was dealing with things, but she was most likely devastated by this "news." It was a blessing because of what I was doing._

_I had exhausted all of my creative energy when creating the plan to use the zombies and the Kyuubi to destroy Konoha. Nothing new was entering my mind, so I decided to wander the country in search of rumors. Rumors are what led me to the Kyuubi's location, after all. I'm sure some rumors would give me ideas or lead me to something that I could work with. Normally, it would be hard to wander if you were a wanted criminal, but I was assumed dead. All I had to do was cut my hair and conceal my face (a mask covering a mouth won't cut it anymore), which is exactly what I did. My hair was now at a length just past my shoulders, and I wore a mask that completely covered my face. It was a featureless slate blue mask with a single eyehole over my right eye. I decided on just having a single eyehole to convince people my face was disfigured without showing any evidence, and it worked._

_During my wandering in this year, I heard several rumors, but only a few interested me, and they were simply news pertaining to Konoha and other ninja affairs. It seems that other countries were constructing villages, following Hashirama's ideas. Hashirama had sealed the Kyuubi inside of his wife, making the first of what would come to be known as jinchuuriki. He had apparently sealed away other bijuu before the formation of Konoha, and now he was using them as diplomatic tools to get the newly-forming ninja nations a reason to ally and make peace with him. He also allied with the feudal lord of the country, seeing it as an easier way to receive funds. So Hizuro got what he wanted after all..._

_I was ecstatic when I heard the news that Hashirama had died. He had died from medical complications following the great battle against Madara. So I did kill him after all! It just took a while for him to die. The place where he had fought was now a memorial site to the great battle, and it was named "The Valley of the End." Apparently they were going to carve statues out of the plateau. They would be depictions of Hashirama and I facing each other, and they would be on both sides of the river that had formed during our fight._

_Since Hashirama died, his younger brother was appointed the Second Hokage. He must have been very bitter towards me, for he discriminated against my clan. He gave them control of the Konoha Police Force, but this was to keep them under check and out of government, as my spot in the council was still vacant, and it would remain that way until a non-Uchiha took its spot. I would have delivered retribution towards him if I still cared for my clan, but I did not. All I cared about in Konoha was Aimi._

_And near the end of the year, I would hear the rumor that set my new plan into notion. It was of a shinobi nation undergoing development. Normally, it was of minor note like the other ninja villages, but this one was on an island. There was already a great island nation that had formed some time shortly after Konoha, but this one was new. And since it was an island nation far to the east, it was likely that the denizens did not know much about me, since news travels faster on land. That land would be my next destination... if I played my cards right, I could rise to a position of power and declare war on Konoha. With Hashirama dead, I doubt the bijuu peace treaties would deter some of the other villages from attacking Konoha; especially considering they were given the bijuu as a sign of peace. I had to act on this plan! I joined a crew of fishermen that was setting sail for the new island nation, eager to enact my new plan._

* * *

_After a few weeks of travel, I arrived on the island. I was eager to learn as much about this place as I could, so I began asking the locals for information about this island. It is the largest island in an archipelago close to the other continent to the east. This archipelago was only recently discovered by our continent because of a great mist that covers most of the islands for most of the year. Indeed, as we approached the island, there was some mist that made navigation difficult._

_This island country, called the Land of Water by feudal lords eager to gain control over this new land, used to be in possession of the eastern continent, but it was given up after a resolution of border disputes. The government officials in the eastern continent must have been bitter over the results, because they never told our continent that there was an archipelago in the eastern seas._

_This archipelago was unusual in that groups of islands had rather different climates from each other. This island had a temperate climate and felt much cooler than the Land of Fire. The weather was different, too: mists and rain was commonplace, while it was often sunny in the Land of Fire._

_The denizens of this country consisted of several kinds of people. There were the natives, which were people originally from the eastern continent. Then there were the immigrants from all over our continent, including some from the southern continent. Sailors, fishermen, and other people with maritime professions came here in search of reaping the resources of the archipelago. Several people and ninja from other countries, most of them refugees, came here in search of a new life. The natives were accepting of the influx of immigrants and they were going to assist in the construction of this shinobi village. The village was going to be constructed simply to make a central hub that connected all of the small settlements scattered throughout the island, and also to protect the people of the island from any pirates or vandals. The settlements had been in place for five years, but it was only recently that they started constructing a shinobi village._

_Construction of a village is a lot harder without someone that can make an entire village spring forth from the ground. I assisted sometimes with the building process, but my main role was organizing things. I already had experience governing a settlement, and I had a good village government system to work off of (with a few modifications, of course). The people of the village quickly began to look up to me. Most weary of me would be convinced to support me when a large amount of bandits organized in an attempt to take over the village in construction. I easily fended them off. There was still some resistance among the populace after the bandit attack, as they supported my staunchest opponent: a grizzled and battle-hardened old man that seemed to be the leader of sorts before I stepped in and took charge. He should have taken the opportunity to spearhead the village's construction when I had the chance. Some genjutsu easily changed his mind and the minds of his followers after he showed his support to me. The only disadvantage about this new place was that some of the ninja used to be from the Land of Fire. I couldn't use my real name here, so I had to use a false one: Motoi Uchizo._

_My prestige amongst the people would rise to the point where they wanted me to name and lead this new village. This couldn't have gone any better! Since the mist around this village and the island itself seemed to be prominent, I named the village "Kirigakure," or "The Village Hidden in the Mist." They would crown me the "Mizukage," following what the other shinobi villages were doing. It was unofficial in the eyes of the world, though: the feudal lords of the continent had decided that there would only be five major shinobi world powers, and those five had already been filled. The Uzumaki's village and the Mist were outside of those five nations. In addition, we had no feudal lord controlling this island yet._

_It felt a bit odd going by "Motoi Uchizo," but it was worth it to have the amount of prestige and political power that Hashirama held. I was well-loved by the people of the village, but I still felt that something was wrong with me. Something was missing, empty... that something was Aimi. I had kept shoving my thoughts and concerns for her in the back of my mind, but they kept resurfacing. I had to know if she was okay, if she would forgive me..._

_I managed to get some of the sailors in Kirigakure to sail me back to the Land of Fire. Sneaking into Konoha would be simple with my disguise, and it was even easier now that two years had passed since Kirigakure began construction. News of the village would no doubt have reached the mainland by now, and it would be foolish to deny the esteemed Mizukage entry. Soon we were off, and I couldn't wait to see my wife again. I just hope that everything was okay..._

* * *

_In a few weeks, I was back in the Land of Fire. It took another day to travel to Konoha, and, as I suspected, it was easy to get inside. The guards kept pestering me if I had diplomatic business, and I had to keep telling them that I was just visiting the village as a tourist. Other than that, there were no other hassles in entering Konoha._

_Once I was inside, I needed to act stealthy. It would be odd if the people saw me heading towards the Uchiha clan and going nowhere else. Luckily I had a jutsu that would make this task easy, as it turned me completely invisible and undetectable to all but the most skilled sensors._

_Upon activating it, I quickly headed towards the Uchiha clan grounds. My mind was racing, trying to think of what to say to Aimi. I soon decided that there was no way to plan my responses and I would simply have to improvise. I could feel my heart pounding as I approached my old house. I made sure nobody was looking, and I slipped inside._

_I knew that things weren't as bad as I might have thought when I was greeted to the painting of Aimi and me by a campfire that she painted for me a few years ago. If she kept that, then she must still have feelings for me... right?_

_I walked through the house until I saw her, painting alone. I had to stop and stare at her for a while. It had been seven long years since I last saw her, and she was still so beautiful. I decided that if I hesitated to reveal myself, then it would never happen, so I deactivated my invisibility jutsu._

_"Aimi," I said, my voice cracking through the quiet room. She turned to look at me and screamed in fright._

_"Who are-" she began._

_"Shh... it's me, honey," I said as I removed my mask. Her mouth hung open as her eyes welled up with tears._

_"I..." she began, but the words died in her mouth. We stood in silence, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. She finally walked over to me and embraced me tightly as she sobbed into me chest. I returned the hug, and stroked her hair to comfort her. She soon quickly released the embrace and slapped me across the face. The blow stung, but I didn't feel bad about receiving it. I deserved it, after all._

_"I don't know what to say to you, or how to feel," Aimi said quietly, her face turned away from me, "You murder Hizuro, get yourself exiled, and then attack our village and get yourself 'killed' in the process. I thought you were dead, Madara. I thought..."_

_"I made a lot of foolish mistakes," I admitted, "Mistakes that I can't turn back from. Mistakes that force me to keep walking on the road I have paved for myself. But believe me, Aimi: even in my deepest descents into lunacy, I never stopped caring and worrying about you. I may have sworn eternal vengeance against this village, but I will never harm you. I don't know if you realized it, but the walking corpses... I forbade them from harming you."_

_"Please, don't remind me of that day..." Aimi said as she turned to look at the painting she was working on, "Damn you, Madara. You're an idiot... a stubborn fool. What do you mean you can't turn back? Why are you so focused on ruining this village?" She looked at me with pleading eyes._

_"I can't just return to this village peacefully. I have committed horrible crimes against this village. Even if I could return here without any problems, I can't let Tobirama's transgressions against this clan go unpunished."_

_"I wasn't aware you cared about the clan," she said with a hint of bitterness, "seeing as they were indiscriminately attacked by those monsters."_

_"Because I don't. Look... Hashirama told me something that day. Something that, no matter how I try and deny it, is mostly true. He said that I have always only cared about myself. Everything I have done was to advance my position and to gain power. But that's not true... I don't just care about myself. I care about you, too. If I didn't, then why am I here? I couldn't bear not knowing your fate any longer."_

_"You're still a fool!" she cried, "Why do you have to destroy this village? What is the point of that disguise? If you're actually the head of another village, then couldn't we just live there in peace?"_

_"Peace is no longer in my life," I said, "the entire reason I helped form Kirigakure was to have a weapon that can crush this village."_

_"Why? Why are you so fixated on destroying Konoha? And why are you telling me this? I could just tell Tobirama, and-"_

_"I am telling you because I trust you, and I _know_ that you will not tell," I said, "and my fixation of vengeance is just a hatred I have always harbored against the Senju. Hashirama claimed that we would all be equal in this village. I'm not seeing that. What clan has held both Hokage spots? What other clan members were even considered for Hokage? I know of these things because I hear people discussing them. This is not a village belonging to all of the clans; this is a village belonging to the Senju. I cannot allow this village to continue existing. Some lives may have to be sacrificed, but it is too late to change this village without force."_

_"You're insane! You're... I just don't know anymore. My mind is overwhelmed... I can't believe that you are Motoi Uchizo... that you didn't die on that night..." Aimi said as she walked over to a chair and sat down in it, leaning forward and burying her face in her hands._

_"I've always been insane, honey. This is my nature. You stuck by me when I did similar things in the clan wars."_

_"That was a different time!" Aimi shouted as she snapped her head up to glare at me._

_"It may have been, but the Senju are still in control. They are still dominating the country and manipulating how the other clans act."_

_"What is it you want? Do you want me to join you? Turn my back on my clan selfishly like you did?"_

_"You don't have to... I'm just explaining my actions. I know that my actions have split us apart, and there is nothing I can do to fix that. I just want to try and repair the rift in our relationship as much as possible. I don't want to completely lose you."_

_"I don't agree with you, but I can't tear myself apart from you..." she said lowly as she looked at the ground._

_"This might be the last time I can come here... Motoi will be an enemy of Konoha sometime in the future."_

_"You're a damn stubborn fool, Madara... but I can't help but still feel love for you. We can keep in touch with messenger birds... and if this is truly the last time I'm going to see you in person..."_

_She stood up from the chair and walked over to me. She embraced me again and leaned up to whisper in my ear._

_"...then I want one last moment of passion. I want to just forget everything for a while and experience a last moment of bliss with my husband."_

_I said nothing as she led me to the bedroom. I felt sorry for how she felt, but I had already began my descent into darkness, and that is something you cannot back out of. But I would do as she did and forget everything for the few hours we spent together. We didn't want to split apart, but it had to be done. We wordlessly bade each other goodbye as I slipped out of the village and returned to the coastal village where the men that had sailed me to the mainland were waiting. I sailed back to Kirigakure._

_Aimi and I kept in touch with messenger birds, just as she had suggested. She didn't seem as angry with me as I had predicted she would have been. Nothing in her letters suggested hostility towards me or my plans to destroy Konoha, and she always diligently responded back when my bird reached the mainland. I would discover that on the night we reunited, she became pregnant. I felt further guilt upon not being around to raise our child, but she assured me that it was fine. I think she had accepted me as dead, and that the revelation that I was still alive was taking its time to sink in. There was nothing I could do for her about that... she would have to come to terms with things herself._

_Several months later, I received a message from her saying that our child had been born. It was a healthy boy that she had named Fugaku. I felt proud for being a father, but remorse and guilt for only being a father through blood. I could not truly be a father to a child that I would never raise or directly talk to._

_Shortly after that, Kirigakure had finished its construction, and there was much celebration. My encounter with Aimi had softened me, and I wasn't sure when I would make the move and declare war on Konoha... I wasn't even sure if this village could win against Konoha. I decided to wait things out and monitor the great ninja nations closely. Perhaps I could manipulate things to turn in my favor..._

* * *

_A few months had passed, and it was now mid-spring of the next year. I had still not made any moves against Konoha, but I think soon would be my chance to strike. The Rock Village in the Land of Earth to the far northwest was demanding more land from both the Land of Fire and the neighboring Land of Whirlpools. Combating both the Senju and the Uzumaki at once... the Rock had to have been powerful to make such a threat._

_Sure enough, the Rock declared war on both the Whirlpool and the Leaf. I then publicly declared war on Konoha, but only in my village. It would be foolish to announce it to the entire ninja world. The people of the village were unsure if attacking both the Leaf and the Whirlpool was a wise idea, but I convinced them that they were busy on one front, leaving their homes mostly undefended. If we could quietly sail to the Land of Fire, we could strike the village undetected. The village soon rallied behind my plans for war, seeing only benefits for the village if we could pull this off._

_I stayed behind and orchestrated things while the first wave of soldiers was sent out. As soon as our troops attacked, the current battle was dubbed the Shinobi World War because of the number of different ninja villages involved. As soon as the world war was announced, the great island nation to the north, Taiyogakure, stepped down from its position as a world power to prevent any ninja villages from attacking it. Thus, our country gained the title due to our power. I was now officially recognized in the world as a Kage!_

_Two weeks had passed since the beginning of the war, and I had sent out more waves of troops. The Leaf and the Whirlpool had more men than I originally suspected, but fortune would be in my favor once more. The Cloud and the Sand would enter the war to gain more land, wealth, and power. The Sand was our enemy, since they believed they rightfully deserved the title as a world power since they had a daimyo and we did not, but they did not attack us. The reason they didn't attack us was because the Whirlpool and the Leaf were also their enemies, and those were the two villages in their way from reaching us. In fact, none of the nations directly attacked the islands, but only our forces on land._

_I was ready to join the battle in another two weeks, but I heard shocking news of terrifying invincible shinobi on the side of Konoha, including Hashirama! How could that be? Further reports showed that Tobirama had developed a jutsu that brought back the dead, letting them use all of their abilities and making them invincible! That bastard! He took my technique and improved upon it! But why? Why would he take such an amoral jutsu and..._

_He knew. He knew I was still alive. He knew the Mist had no logical reason for attacking Konoha. No doubt there were other clues I had left behind without noticing that he picked up, but this was him calling me out. I couldn't come out and challenge him; my secrecy and illusiveness was my greatest advantage. I had to flee the Mist before someone figured things out. I didn't want to completely abandon the people of this village, th__ough. I gave them some suggestions on how to take out the dead ninja. It turns out Tobirama couldn't overcome the same drawbacks I had faced: decapitation or destruction of the brain killed his undead forces just as well as it killed mine._

_I took two of my most faithful and powerful followers, the close friends and spiritual brothers Kazuo Hozuki and Taro Terumi, and gave them power over the village. The eldest and strongest, Kazuo, would assume the position of Second Mizukage, while the youngest, Taro, would remain a powerful advisor figure. I then fled the country, but not before changing my hairstyle slightly, as well as changing my mask to a bright yellow one with many straight lines emerging from the eyehole and stretching across the length of the mask. I knew where my next destination was and what my next course of action would be. The official story behind my disappearance was that Motoi Uchizo had been assassinated by special operatives from the Leaf. Kazuo had slain these assassins, and he took the reins of the army and the village. I now casted away the Mist just as I had casted away my own clan. They were irrelevant to my plans and my concerns. I set sail to the north, to the Land of Light..._

* * *

_When I arrived in the Land of Light, it was late summer. I was shocked at the sheer size of its ninja village, Taiyogakure, the Village Hidden under the Sun. It was far larger than Konoha, and it seemed to be at the peak of technological and economical achievement at the time. I bought a home on this populous island nation and decided to hone my skills and perfect my jutsu._

_I would spend twenty-eight years of my life on this island, involving myself with little in the ninja world other than hearing news from the people on this island and news from Aimi. I would find out the Shinobi World War would last for another three years. The Sand pulled out of the war due to excessive casualties due to their foolish attempts at attacking both the Rock and the Whirlpool at the same time. The Mist surrendered after some time due to losses in battle, and the Whirlpool backed down from the war upon great losses, as well. The Rock valued the Mist attacking the Leaf, seeing them as useful distractions. The Tsuchikage became enraged upon the Mist's withdrawal, and seeing as how they would lose if they kept attacking the Leaf, he ordered all of his men to pursue and kill the retreating Mist forces. Kazuo was among the dead, leaving Taro in power. The last part of the war was between the Leaf and the Cloud. The Cloud sent their elite shinobi team, the Kinkaku Force, out to destroy Konoha. Tobirama managed to fend them off at the cost of his own life. A young man named Hiruzen Sarutobi would become the Third Hokage, further dragging out the power of the Senju. The Sarutobi clan was just an offshoot of the Senju._

_The Mist degraded into riots, which were silenced by the rise of a totalitarian dictatorship. It seemed that Taro wasn't the best choice for leading the village after all. The Mizukage gap was not being filled, leaving him as an acting Mizukage of sorts. The riots in the Mist started when Taro handed over control of the country to a daimyo to gain funds the village desperately needed, but it seemed that the villagers didn't like being tied to a feudal lord. To silence them, he assembled an elite unit of ninja, the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, to take down the rebels. Throughout most of my time here, I would hear many back-and-forth struggles between the Mist and the rebels._

_The Sand became a great nation after the war, for the Whirlpool was heavily weakened. They were close allies with Konoha after the war, but they had lost some land, with more land being lost from further attacks over time. Two new shinobi villages, the Rain and the Grass, would arise from land the Whirlpool lost. Over time, they would continue losing land until they were what is now known as the Land of Rivers. The Lands of Wind, Waterfalls, and Fire would gain land from their loss of territory._

_But other than that, I paid little attention to the affairs of the other nations. Konoha seemed to have entered an era of peace, so I did as well. I pushed myself to the limits, training my jutsu and Mangekyo Sharingan techniques. I would also delve into the secrets of the Yin Release, which I seemed to have a rare affinity for. The Yin and Yang forces were an oddity in the ninja world: every jutsu uses Yin and Yang together in some balance. For example, genjutsu is mostly Yin, while clone techniques are mostly Yang. Yin is spiritual energy, and Yang is life energy. The fire, wind, and lightning elements had more yin than yang due to their energy-like state, while the earth and water elements had more yang than yin due to their physical-like state. Izanagi was formed from a perfect balance of Yin and Yang; the same with Izanami. Hashirama seemed to have an extremely rare affinity with directly manipulating life energy. Likewise, I seemed to have the same rare affinity with directly manipulating spirit energy._

_I developed many jutsus strictly only utilizing the Yin Release. This is what took up most of my time on this island: studying the properties of spiritual and life energies as well as studying the aspects of spiritual energy. Of particular note were the souls of humans: their uniqueness and a rich source of energy and power. I learned many new techniques involving souls, including one that allowed me to essentially live forever. By absorbing the souls of people, I could extend my lifespan and restore my youthful appearance, and I did so. Seeing no need to use my mask to hide my physical appearance, I discarded it. Nobody would recognize me as Madara with my appearance when I was twenty, and even if they did, I could just pass it off as an uncanny resemblance._

_On the twenty-first year since I began living in Taiyogakure (twenty-seven years from the present time), tensions between the Leaf, the Rock, the Sand, and the Rain would erupt into a second Shinobi World War. The Rock, once again, started the conflict. I overheard news that the leader of Taiyogakure, Teruo Hideshi, was going to provide aid to Konoha. I couldn't let that happen! I snuck in his mansion late at night and killed him in his sleep. I had to kill him in that matter... if I fought him directly, he might have killed me with his powerful Plasma Release kekkei genkai._

_I made up another story about assassins, and the people made me the second ruler of the village. Like the Mist, I was greatly respected throughout the village. My false name this time was "Masaru Uziro." I wasn't exactly subtle with hiding my initials, but it would take a very paranoid and old man to suspect that every man with the initials "MU" was me in disguise, especially since I had been inactive for two decades._

_I kept the Sun out of the war, although part of me now regrets doing that. The Second World War was where most of the shinobi legends of the modern days arose, including the Sannin. It would have been fun altering the course of history by entering the war and potentially killing some of these heroes. This war would last seven years, and the Sun would play no part in it._

_My great proficiency with the Yin Release had made me deeply connected to the Sharingan and everyone who possessed one. It was a strange link, and I suspected that my grandfather had manipulated the bloodline to make things this way. It was only of great use when I sensed the birth of an Uchiha child that would rise to great power. I couldn't resist; I had to have this child as an apprentice. I would wait for three years before stealing the child, just because I still wasn't done perfecting my jutsu._

_Studying Yin and Yang had consumed most of my time, but I was finally done with them for a while. Now I was set on improving my zombies to be similar to the ones that Tobirama had created. I succeeded with that in two years, and then I was going to improve upon my normal zombies to see what kinds of undead creatures I could create. Developing my jutsus was much easier with a large mansion that formerly belonged to the leader of the village as your house: it had quite a spacious basement perfect for experiments._

_Another year had passed, and I had made some progress on my zombie jutsu development, but it was surprisingly difficult. But the Uchiha child prodigy was now three years old... it was an optimal time to strike. The war was still going on, so it would be easier to kidnap the child because of a lack of shinobi, but harder to sneak into the village because of increased defenses. I took a boat and set sail to the Land of Fire..._

* * *

_I was easily able to sneak into the village with my invisibility jutsu. I was not concerned with any opposition that I would face upon kidnapping the child. The only person that I would not want to see was Aimi, and she was out participating in the war. If she saw me kidnap this child... I think it all would be over. But I could feel the potential power in this child. If I could properly harness it..._

_I was getting ahead of myself. What I needed to do now was take the child. I arrived at the Uchiha clan grounds and frowned as I realized that I had no idea where to start looking for the child. I saw an Uchiha walking about, and I clasped my mouth over his hand and dragged him into a nearby alley. I activated my Sharingan and used a simple genjutsu on him. He told me the location of the household the child lived in, and I then erased his memories of being dragged into an alley by an invisible man._

_I quickly made my way to the house, and I soon saw the child. It was a young girl, three years old, and she was playing in the yard of a rather large house. I deactivated my jutsu out of her sight and walked up to her. She turned her head to look at me as I approached, and her cheerful expression instantly changed to a concerned one._

_"Hello there, little girl," I said with a warm smile, "How are you today?"_

_"I... um..." she stammered, looking around in nervousness._

_"Hey!" I heard a man call out, "Who the hell are you? Get away from my daughter!"_

_Well, there go my chances of peacefully convincing the girl to come with me. Before I could say anything to the man, I heard a woman approach._

_"What's wrong Fugaku?" the woman asked as she exited the house along with the man. They both laid eyes on me. The man glared while the woman looked concerned. So the man was Fugaku? My own son? The young girl with such power was my granddaughter?_

_"Don't worry, Mikoto; I'll deal with him," Fugaku said to the woman as he approached me. This wasn't good... Fugaku was slated to be the next head of the Uchiha clan when Aimi stepped down... he was no doubt very powerful. And that woman was Mikoto... Aimi told me that she had been trained under the powerful Konoha ninja known as Jiraiya, who himself had been trained by the current Hokage. I couldn't use my Sharingan because it could potentially give away my identity... this could be a hassle._

_"Mom? Dad? Who's this man?" the child asked with fear. I looked towards her and used a basic genjutsu to knock her unconscious. I picked her up, slung her over one shoulder, and began to run._

_"Damn you! Give Reiko back!" I heard Fugaku yell as he began to pursue me. I placed my feet on a nearby rooftop and turned around, forming a few seals. I inhaled and then unleashed a slew of fireballs that rushed towards him. He countered with a much larger and more powerful fireball that consumed my smaller ones. I cursed under my breath and quickly body flickered away before the fireball hit me. I formed several clones that were carrying clones of the girl in an attempt to confuse him, but it didn't work. He had probably already activated his Sharingan to track me better, making the clones useless._

_I suddenly stopped fleeing when I was in an open alleyway behind a few stores. Before Fugaku could react, I hurled his daughter high up into the air, surely distracting him. I took this time to use an earth jutsu that caused the ground beneath him to rise up and ensnare his legs, preventing movement. I smirked and raised an arm to catch the falling child, who I believe I heard Fugaku call Reiko, but she never fell. I looked up and did not see her, and I looked around to see that Mikoto had showed up, and Reiko was in her hands. This wasn't good..._

_"What do you want with our daughter?" Mikoto asked with ferocity as she turned to look at me, "And just who the hell are you?"_

_"Just a stranger. That's all I am," I said with a grin. The grin spread to a sarcastic smile as I reached my hand out towards Mikoto, "Now if you would kindly give me back the girl."_

_"FUCK YOU!" Fugaku yelled from behind me as I heard him break free from the jutsu I had placed him in. I had to end this fast! I looked away from them both and activated my Sharingan before powering them up to their Eternal Mangekyo state. I formed the seals needed for Izanami, and then all sound was drowned out as everything around me slowed to a crawl._

_I walked over to Mikoto and gently plucked the unconscious child out of her arms. I did not stop using Izanami until Konoha was well behind me._

* * *

_A few weeks had passed, and Reiko is adjusting well to her new home. As expected, she was confused and depressed upon the forceful change of environment, but it was easy to make up bullshit and convince her that it was true. To her, I was her older brother. I had saved her from some "bad men" that were going to kill everyone in the Uchiha clan. I could only save her in time, and I was truly sorry that I couldn't save anyone else. Children are so easy to manipulate._

_And I began to teach her to give her things to look forward to and to remove her sorrow over the "fate" of her family. She was already well-taught in several areas, but the skills of a ninja were alien to her. She was very gifted, though; that I knew. She was well-spoken for a child of her age, and new concepts were easy for her to grasp and apply. She also already knew how to use her Sharingan... a sign of a fine pedigree._

_As the time passed, I became more impressed with Reiko's progress. The only time I felt any guilt for my actions was when I received news from Aimi that someone kidnapped an Uchiha child. I had no choice but to feign innocence in my reply._

_In just a month, she could use many basic ninja techniques, and she was skilled in the use of ninja tools. I taught her more and more, and she never failed anything I tried to teach her. Taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu... every time she surpassed my expectations._

_I spent two years training her, and she was now five. It was simply remarkable seeing how powerful she had become. I would guess that she would be on the level of a special jonin, if not higher. She was certainly more powerful in the area of ninjutsu than several ninja, as she was naturally proficient in three different elements. She would make a fine apprentice, indeed. But there was one last test that I had been holding off. I had not revealed to her my dark nature. She saw me as her warm and kind brother, a shining role model that led the powerful Sun village. I'm sure she was curious as to what dwelled in the basement of my mansion and why I frequently went there at night. I would show her, but I don't know if she has a dark nature. Everything about her seems to be pure. But if I hesitated, the likelihood of any potential evil inside of her revealing itself would only decrease. I had to act soon._

_A few days passed, and I heard that the Second World War had ended. The Leaf and the Whirlpool had emerged victorious in the war. However, the Whirlpool had been severely damaged in the war, and their people entered a schism. Some wanted to uphold the country's status as a ninja nation, while others wanted to renounce that status for peace. The majority of the people wanted to renounce their title as a ninja nation. Konoha stopped any rebellions by letting the Whirlpool ninja that wanted to remain ninja inhabit a small island off of their east coast. The old Land of Whirlpool became the Land of Rivers. The Whirlpool ninja that relocated to the island called the nation the Land of Eddies, and their village became the Village Hidden among the Whirling Tides, or the Whirlpool for short. This event was insignificant now, but it would play a larger factor later on._

_I decided to act upon revealing to Reiko my dark intentions the following night. On that night, I led her down into the basement. I was undergoing many experiments with my zombie jutsu using people I had kidnapped from the village. I was pushing the zombies to their limits, observing the thresholds of various things about them, such as how long and how cold before they completely froze. There were also prototypes of other variations upon the basic zombie down in the basement. Some had sharp claws that could rend steel. Some retained all the agility that had in life. Some could use basic jutsu. I had all sorts of various zombies restrained down there._

_And as soon as she saw them, I knew that it was hopeless. She would not be persuaded to my side. She held a look of utter shock and repulsion towards my experiments. But I had prepared myself for this. I would now play the monster and push her to her limits. I would make the following days an absolute hell for her. If I expose her to the sheer power and evil of my zombie jutsu, then she will no doubt be tempted to use it at times in the future. Taiyogakure would fall tonight, but it was just a small setback._

_"Aren't they beautiful, sister?" I asked as I smiled at her, "I think you are powerful enough to use this jutsu. Here, let me teach it to you."_

_"You... how... how could you?" she asked in a breathless, shrill tone. "These are innocent people! And you... you turned them into these monsters!"_

_I wanted to smirk at her, but to properly play my role, I took a step back and displayed a baffled look. "Is there something wrong with that? Think of the possibilities of this jutsu. You and I, sister, we can rule the world with this jutsu. Starting with this pathetic village."_

_"You... YOU'RE A MONSTER!" she shrieked as tears fell down her cheeks. Her eyes changed from jade green to crimson red as she activated her Sharingan. This was going to be interesting to see what skills she would use on me. I had to push her, but I couldn't overdo it... she can't die here._

_She made a few seals and took a deep breath before exhaling several blasts of wind at me. I gritted my teeth in frustration; I didn't expect her to start with such powerful jutsus. I maneuvered out of the way of the wind blasts as best as I could, but I received a few cuts. I retaliated with a jutsu that ripped a large chunk from the earth beneath me and hurled it towards her. She countered with a jutsu that made four pillars of electricity that not only shattered the earthen lump, but also began rushing towards me. I was through playing with her. I dodged the pillars and made sure that Reiko was looking at me._

_I made the seals for my zombie jutsu, making sure that she could analyze the order they were in. A yellow gas emerged from my hands. I saw her eyes widen; she knew what the gas did. She bolted out of the basement, causing me to laugh at her predicament. There was nowhere she could hide. I poured more chakra into the jutsu, causing the gas to grow and spread even more. It would envelop the entire island, and everyone except Reiko would turn into zombies. She would have succumbed to the gas if I let it, but that would go against my plan. I had to nurture the hatred inside of her and let it grow._

_I disposed of all of the experiments in the basement. I had no use for them anymore, and I couldn't leave behind any evidence. Such a catastrophe is not going to go unnoticed by the world. I strolled out of my mansion nonchalantly, admiring the power of my zombie jutsu. The howls of thousands of zombies echoed throughout the now-desolate island. I sensed that Reiko had fallen unconscious, so I mentally commanded the zombies to ignore her for now. When she awoke, I would reprogram them to attack her, but not to bite her._

_After some time, I found her unconscious form. I used a genjutsu to jolt her into an awakened state. She looked about in confusion until her brain registered what had happened, and then her countenance changed to one holding the utmost fear. I smirked at that expression._

_"Reiko, Reiko, Reiko..." I said calmly in a chastising tone, "I was planning for you to accept my offer. But you didn't, and now you have doomed this entire island. Everyone here is now one of those mindless creatures, and they will hunt you down. Every. Single. Person. On this island. Good luck, sister. You'll need it to survive. And you need to survive. Do you understand? Live. Do not give up. If you ever want to kill me, you'll need to live and let that hatred inside of you grow. Do not fail me..."_

_She said nothing and began to cry as the gravity of the entire situation dawned upon her. I shook my head at the pathetic girl and walked away. I found an abandoned boat and decided to find a new base of operations in the Land of Water. I sailed south, leaving behind the damned island forever._

_It took a few days to reach the main island that housed Kirigakure, and it took a few more days to buy a house. I had to alter my appearance to not draw any suspicion towards me. Once I had my new house, I made myself a new mask to hide my identity. This one was red with a flame design on it, and it still was featureless except for a single eyehole on the right side._

_A few more days had passed, and I overheard that a serious disaster had happened in the Land of Light, and that all of the ninja nations were sending forces to help. I suppose there were a few people that had not become zombies other than Reiko that managed to contact the outside world, but I wasn't angry. I was actually proud of myself. The ninja world had never been united before, and because of my actions, they had all united under a single force to try and liberate the Land of Light. And only a few months after the end of the Second World War, too, when tensions were no doubt still high. They were not successful, of course, and the island was abandoned and its history covered up. Even in the present, the island holds zombies and is regarded as cursed._

_A month had passed since then. I sensed the birth of another Uchiha prodigy, but I ignored the child, weary over the possibility of being betrayed again. I regret never kidnapping this child... Itachi would have been a great ally._

_I would spend the next four years in the Land of Water, soaking up information and continuing to hone my skills. The Third World War would break out during this time, but it would not last long in comparison to the other world wars. The war was won, once again, by Konoha, no thanks to their Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze. There was a bit of turmoil in the village as Taro, the ruler I had put in my place, was overthrown by a younger man, a jinchuuriki, who became the Fourth Mizukage. It would seem that Taro was overthrown sometime before, as I had no idea who the Third Mizukage was._

_My patience for the past few decades would soon pay off, and many opportunities would present themselves to me. I gladly indulged in all of them, and I do not regret doing so, even if it caused rumors to emerge that suggested that I was still alive..._

* * *

_The first of these opportunities showed up after I spent four years in the Land of Water. This event happened sixteen years ago in the summer of that year. I remember it well because it launched a good streak for me where I manipulated many events. Even if some of them failed, I still made the ultimate outcome desirable for me in some manner._

_It started when I heard various citizens and Kirigakure ninja complaining about the alliance between the Leaf and the Whirlpool. This alliance happened at the end of the war, when Minato Namikaze wed Kushina Uzumaki, the princess of the Whirlpool. The two countries were becoming far too powerful, and they wanted something to be done about it. Apparently, the current Mizukage was weary of their alliance, too. I think it was time to pay the Mizukage a visit and persuade him to attack the Leaf. The Mist had a powerful military, and I think they had the capability to defeat both the Leaf and the Whirlpool if they put their full effort into it._

_I requested a meeting with the Mizukage, telling the guards outside of the Administration Building that I had a great proposition. They seemed weary to let me in, but the Mizukage himself made the guards back down. He personally greeted me and led me to his office. Once inside, he sat down at his desk. He offered me a chair that was positioned in front of the desk, and I sat down. There was one other person in the room besides the two of us: a stern-looking tall man with dark brown wavy hair that fell past his shoulders. The man had some stubble, and he didn't acknowledge either of us. Instead, he just stared out the window._

_"Let me just start off by saying that I know your identity," Yagura said as he leaned forward, his strange purple eyes staring into mine, "That mask isn't necessary, Madara."_

_I smiled under my mask and took it off, placing it on the desk. "Well, you're a bright one. Do tell me how you figured out my identity."_

_"If you paid attention when you entered this building, you would have seen that there are ice sculptures of all of the Mizukages in the lobby. Your body shape matches that of the first. And while the sculpture of the First Mizukage has lost its head, it is well documented in history that he wore a plain mask with a single eyehole."_

_"And you figured out that 'Motoi Uchizo' was Madara Uchiha how...?" I asked incredulously._

_Yagura smiled at my skepticism, "Well, the catastrophe in Taiyogakure certainly raised a panic among the people of the world. The creatures on that island were the same kind of creatures that attacked the Leaf many years ago. They shared this information with the high-ranking people of each village. I wasn't in office then, but I have the records that show this information. Upon doing a bit of research, I found out the Second Hokage developed a similar technique that resurrected the dead, demonstrating it during the First World War. And who knew how to get rid of the dead ninja? The First Mizukage. I just pieced things together, and your willingness to confirm my guess only made things that much easier."_

_"What a clever one you are. Am I going to have to dispose of you now?" I asked in a joking manner, but there were threatening undertones in my voice._

_"I would strongly advise against doing that," the man by the window spoke in a threatening baritone. He walked over from the window and stood over me with an intense glare. This man's chakra felt incredibly powerful..._

_"There's no need for that, Genji," Yagura said, "And don't worry, Madara. Your secret is safe with me."_

_Genji turned away from me with a "Humph," and walked back over to the windows to look out of them._

_"Now, what did you come here for?"_

_"Well," I said, "I just overheard people talking about the alliance between the Leaf and the Whirlpool, including your disapproval towards it. I came here to suggest that you attack them."_

_"I don't think that is a very wise idea. Both nations are quite powerful, and-"_

_"Oh, come on. I've spent my recent years in this country. I know Kirigakure's military force. It has the capability of taking both of the villages out. And who else is going to act except the Mist? The Sand and the Rock have been weakened by the war, and the Cloud isn't going to do anything. Strike now before word of your disapproval reaches their ears. Besides, you're a jinchuuriki. They don't have one."_

_"Actually, they do. Kushina Uzumaki holds the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox inside of her," Yagura said, "and the Yellow Flash is the Fourth Hokage. Not to mention the past Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."_

_"Well, the real threat here is Konoha. The Whirlpool has its share of strong ninja, but it's a new nation that formed from conflict. Most of their men stayed behind. If you want to win, you direct most of your forces towards the Leaf," I suggested._

_"Are you suggesting a joint attack?" Genji asked as he turned away from the windows and towards me._

_"Precisely. Send a sizable amount of troops to strike the Whirlpool first. Just enough to make it look like the first wave of an army. Make the Leaf think that only the Whirlpool is under attack. Then take the larger army and strike Konoha when they least expect it. You still have those Seven Swordsmen guys, right? Make them lead the attack on the Whirlpool while you attack the Leaf," I said._

_"I am the head of the seven," Genji said, "and I don't see anything wrong with his plan, Lord Yagura."_

_"Very well, then. I thank you for your suggestion, Madara. I shall start to amass our forces. You are dismissed," Yagura said. I stood up from my chair, took my mask, and bowed. I put my mask on as I turned away and left the Administration Building with a wide smile on my face. That couldn't have gone any better!_

_I would learn in the following week the results of the attack. Unfortunately, the Mist's forces were defeated, but there was a bright side to the attack: they had destroyed the Whirlpool! The forces attacking the Leaf were defeated, allowing the Leaf to go and assist the Whirlpool. By the time they showed up, the Whirlpool Village was in ruins, with their leader and many other shinobi dead. Genji was holding Kushina hostage, and he delivered a fatal blow to her when Konoha refused to surrender. This made the Fourth Hokage so livid that he single-handedly defeated all of the Mist's forces. Kushina was gravely injured, but she was healed back to health. The Mist feared great retribution from the Leaf, but they were offered peace from the past Hokage instead. I suppose they didn't want another war to emerge, but I didn't care at this point. I was no longer in the Land of Water: I had heard something a few days ago that was a calling to me._

_Apparently, there was a rebel group in the Land of Rain that was trying to overthrow the leader Hanzo. Hanzo tricked the rebel group and led them to a trap during the Third World War. He aimed to take them out, but was fended off. News started spreading that there were two prominent members, (there used to be three, but one of them was killed in the trap) and one of them possessed the fabled Rinnegan. It wasn't a hyperbole over-exaggerating his power: there were several eye witness accounts that he actually possessed the Rinnegan! The fabled eye of the Sage of the Six Paths... I had to obtain it! But I was patient... I would arrange events in my favor of taking it in the future._

_So I traveled to the Land of Rain. It was difficult to get in the country, as they were cautious around outsiders. But once I was in, I made my way to Amegakure. I met with Hanzo and gave him several suggestions on how to deal with the rebel group before leaving. I stayed in Amegakure for a few months, assisting Hanzo with attacks on the rebel forces. He thought I was a great ally, but I was simply manipulating him. My tactics would not defeat the rebels, but they would definitely threaten and push them. And that was what I needed. I needed to nurture the Rinnegan, to make the wielder realize its full potential._

_I left Amegakure after several months (it was now the next year), and I once more decided to wander about in the Land of Fire. It had been far too long since I directly attacked Konoha, and I was eager to hear rumors that would lead me to another method of destroying the village._

* * *

_It would not be until late September of that year that I heard the rumor that sparked my next plan. Kushina Uzumaki was far into her pregnancy and she would give birth soon. I remember from my studies on the tailed beasts and their hosts that the seals are at their weakest during childbirth. It seems that I would be using the Kyuubi once more._

_So I patiently waited and stalked throughout the Leaf with my invisibility jutsu, searching for news about Kushina. I followed her around the village and carefully watched her, along with the Fourth Hokage. I luckily followed them into the little meeting they had with the past Hokage. There I learned of the location they were being taken to. Fate seemed to be on my side for once!_

_And the day finally arrived when she would go into labor. The tenth of October... I followed them to the cave were she would be giving birth. I waited a while, carefully monitoring the guards outside. I couldn't alert any of them... I had to kill them quickly and quietly. I decided to use the water around them by using a jutsu that made the water forcefully enter their lungs, which suffocated them. I smirked and entered the cave, but not before disabling the barrier they had erected._

_Judging by the sounds I heard echoing in the cave, it seems that she had already given birth. I missed the optimal time to unseal the fox, but the seal would still be weak. I body flickered into the chamber they were housed in and swiftly killed the two people that were not Minato and Kushina. I held their newborn child in one hand and held another hand over its head. I could easily crush the child's skull if I wanted to._

_"Fourth Hokage... Minato. Back away from the jinchuuriki, or your son dies at the ripe old age of one minute," I said._

_Minato looked at me with shock. His gaze flickered from me, to his son, to the two dead people on the ground, and towards the direction of his wife._

_"Didn't you hear me? Back away from her, or your son dies," I commanded._

_"J-Just chill out, okay?" he asked as he inched towards Kushina._

_"I think you need to chill out with that nervousness about you. I'm cooler than ever," I said as I nonchalantly tossed the baby into the air. He didn't back away from her, so I pulled a kunai out from my robes and pointed it so the baby landed on the point._

_"NARUTO!" I heard Kushina cry out. So that was the child's name... too bad he was going to be dead._

_Naruto never impacted with the kunai. I was suddenly reminded of the time I kidnapped Reiko. I glanced to me side, and sure enough, Minato had moved fast enough to catch Naruto in mid-air. But this time, I was prepared._

_"Well, you live up to the title they give you. But you really should listen to the man holding your son hostage."_

_I had placed several explosive tags on the underside of the towel that Naruto was wrapped in. I smirked as the woman cried out her son's name, but my smirk faded as Minato and the child suddenly vanished. I still sensed his chakra, though... he was quite some distance away. Both he and the child were still alive. It seems he used his teleportation technique, but that was good. He had no easy way back here, leaving me alone with the jinchuuriki._

_I walked over to her and grinned maniacally as I grabbed her and body flickered outside of the cave. I made the seals to a jutsu I had made when I learned she was late in her pregnancy. It made several stones rise from the ground around her, and it bound her in place, too. The seal was weakening, and this jutsu I used would only weaken it further. I activated my Sharingan and used it to preemptively place the Kyuubi under my control. I then used another jutsu to break the seal and remove the fox from inside of her._

_"Well then, Kyuubi, shall we go to the Leaf?" I asked it in a mocking tone._

_"S... Stop..." Kushina weakly muttered._

_"Oh, yes, I forgot about the tenacity of the Uzumaki clan. Always clinging to life when normal people would have died. But I don't think you can survive being crushed by the hand of the demon fox," I said to her as I commanded the Kyuubi to smash her. I knew it failed, because I sensed her suddenly move as Minato's chakra appeared. He managed to save her, and he faded away once again._

_I sighed and quickly body flickered to Konoha, leaving the fox behind. I arrived in the middle of Konoha, and I used the summoning jutsu. The Kyuubi appeared in the village and immediately started wreaking havoc. And without Hashirama, it would be incredibly difficult for them to defeat the Kyuubi!_

_The fox seemed to notice something quickly. It charged up a sphere of energy and launched it towards the mountain with the Hokage's faces on it. The blast suddenly vanished and reappeared several miles behind the mountain. It was Minato! I formed the seals for my zombie jutsu and let an orb of the gas form in my hand. It would be the easiest way to dispatch him... if I shoved the gas in his face, he was dead._

_I body flickered to his position and thrust my hand at his head. He vanished, and I cursed. I still sensed his chakra, so I rapidly body flickered to his position._

_"So... are you going to stop running from me?" I asked him. He looked all over me and at the gaseous yellow orb in my hand._

_"You... you're Madara Uchiha, aren't you?" he asked with vehement indignation._

_I suppose I was being a bit too bombastic with all of my actions today, but I was succeeding! So what if my identity was able to be guessed!_

_"Perhaps... but I'm pretty sure that guy is dead," I said casually as I sprinted towards him and thrust the ball of gas towards his face. He ducked and did a sweep kick, knocking my legs out from under me. He thrust one of his unique kunai down at my neck, but I rolled out of the way before he could pierce me. I stood myself up, cracked my neck, and charged at him once more. He charged me as well. The fool; he had damned himself!_

_He formed a spiraling ball of chakra, but I wasn't afraid. He had no way to dodge my attack!_

_"Checkmate," I said as my ball of zombie gas was inches from his head, but it contacted nothing. My eyes widened with shock as I turned around. I saw behind me one of his kunais... he must have thrown it at speeds that not even my Sharingan could detect. Minato was above me and he slammed the spiraling sphere of chakra down onto my body._

_"RASENGAN!" he yelled as the ball hit my back. I could feel its force grinding throughout my entire body, causing me great pain until the attack ended. I body flickered away a small distance in a standing position. I started forming the seals to make another ball of zombie gas, but Minato interrupted me before I could finish. He appeared in front of me and slammed his palm into my stomach. I felt my chakra system being disrupted._

_"You didn't...!" I gasped._

_"I did," he replied, "the Kyuubi is no longer under your control."_

_I leaped back and considered my options. I had grossly underestimated Minato's strength. If I continued to fight with him... I might be killed. I couldn't risk that._

_"You deserve the title of Hokage, Minato," I said as I slowly backed away from him. He glared at me and looked as if he was ready to attack me once more, but I warned him, "Really? Do you want to pursue me? Feel free, but you'd be leaving behind your wife and your village to rot."_

_Minato balled his hands into tight fists and vanished from the area. I punched the ground in frustration. I knew I had failed today. There was no way the Kyuubi would succeed in destroying the village without me commandeering it. I returned back to my home in the Land of Fire... the old site of the previous Uchiha clan settlement._

_My mood was lifted the next day when I learned of the results of my actions. Konoha had suffered major casualties, Kushina and Minato among them. Minato sacrificed his life using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to seal the Kyuubi inside of his son. The Third Hokage was forced to come out of retirement, and now they had the world's youngest jinchuuriki. I was relieved that Minato was dead. It would have been a nightmare thinking of ways to circumvent his space-time techniques._

_I remained in the Land of Fire for a few months, resting my body. That Rasengan technique had greatly injured me in ways I did not expect._

* * *

_I was concerned. It was a new year, and I was starting to hear rumors that Madara Uchiha was behind the attack, or that I was still alive. This wasn't good at all! I had to remove the attention from myself! But how?_

_It was simple: I would make a monster worse than me in the eyes of the world. But who? Who trusted me enough and was in a position of power?_

_Yagura... the Fourth Mizukage. I set sail for Kirigakure, eager to remove the attention from me. I returned to my home in the Land of Water and planned on how to manipulate Yagura, who didn't seem that evil. I decided on a powerful genjutsu, and I went to the Administration Building there._

_Genji was away, which was good. I had heard of his terrifying might in battles, and I didn't think I would be able to successfully manipulate Yagura if he was there. I used my Sharingan and put him under the genjutsu, implanting commands and suggestions that he should follow. I left, and returned to my home. For several months I stayed there, listening for any complaints from the people. I learned that the daimyo of the country had been assassinated, and a new violent way of graduating the academies had been adopted. It seems that I was successful, as Kirigakure was now being known throughout the world as "The Bloody Mist." I decided to keep Yagura under the genjutsu. The more attention shifted from me to him, the better._

_This year was very painful for me to remember, because it is the year Aimi died. She was sixty-nine years old, and a disease took her life. I didn't care if my return was heavily speculated by Konoha. I attended her funeral, and I laid flowers at her grave every night after for two weeks. I was not only mourning losing her, but also losing the last essence of purity inside of me. She was the reason I felt guilt, remorse, and hesitation..._

_It was hard, but I had to tear myself away from her grave and leave the Land of Fire. I had stayed far too long, and people were suspecting I was the one behind the Kyuubi's attack, as some people had seen a "strange masked man" before the Kyuubi was summoned. I fled the country and returned to my home in the Land of Water._

* * *

_Another year had passed, and Yagura has surpassed my expectations. A number of clans in the country that possessed kekkei genkai opposed his actions. So what did he do? He ordered an extermination of _all_ kekkei genkai users in the country, including those who supported him!_

_I also learned that Konoha suspected that the Uchiha were behind the attack, so they moved them all to a small district where they could keep an eye on them. This would no doubt cause great discontent among the members of the clan. Perhaps I could convince the head of the clan to stage a coup d'état. I traveled to the Land of Fire and used a clone technique to alter my appearance, and I entered the village._

_I met with Fugaku, who was now the head of the clan since my wife had passed, and successfully convinced him to consider overthrowing the heads of Konoha. What was great about it was that he had his Sharingan active during our conversation: he could see through my disguise. He knew of my identity, but still agreed to work with me. Good thing he didn't see the face under the mask, or else he would see the man that kidnapped his daughter several years ago._

_Satisfied with our dealings, I left Konoha and returned to the Land of Water._

* * *

_The following year, violence in the Mist had intensified. A group of rebels consisting of many past Swordsmen of the Mist rose up to overthrow Yagura. They were defeated, but the fighting still continued between supporters and denouncers of Yagura. Apparently, Yagura was now annexing nearby islands for sinister uses, such as a massive torture facility and a slave-breeding area. He even directly approached me and said he had plans to utilize the zombies on the Land of Light! I had to leave before things got too violent here. I could not risk being seen and identified by any people of the Leaf that might come here for diplomacy or whatever._

_I left the islands, and in a good time, too. A month after I left, Taro (the Village Ruler of the Mist) would reappear with a massive amount of forces, and the Mist would fall into a civil war that would last for four years. Yagura would be killed during the war and Taro would assume his position once more. The Mizukage position would remain vacant from here on out, as Taro assumed all of the roles of Mizukage._

_But when I left the Land of Water, I left it for good. My next location of interest was the Land of Rain. The rebel forces had become a famous mercenary group known as "Akatsuki." I had thought of a good way to conquer the world, and I was going to present my ideas to them. I never fancied myself a ruler of the world... I had only ever wanted to destroy Konoha, but I decided to increase the scale of my plans. I found it odd that the rebels still existed when Hanzo was in power... but I'm thinking that Hanzo is dead and Akatsuki controls the country now. It just hasn't been made official to the world because the Rain keeps information locked inside of their borders._

_I entered the Land of Rain, and, as I had suspected, Hanzo was dead and his supporters were a minority. The rebel forces now ruled the land. I requested an audience with the leader of the country. I was led to Amegakure, the ninja village of the country. I was amazed at the sheer level of technology this country possessed- it was like nothing I had ever seen before._

_I was led to a tall tower, and I rode an elevator to a floor near the top. I exited it and entered a lavish room with two people wearing black cloaks with a red cloud pattern on them. One of them was a girl with blue hair, her hair tied up in a bun and an origami flower resting in her hair. The other was a thin man with pale skin and blood red shoulder length hair. His eyes... they were the Rinnegan!_

_"Welcome to our village, Madara," the man said. I was using my actual identity in this village, as I had nothing to fear, "I am Nagato, and this is Konan. What brings you here today?"_

_"First off, I have to thank you for being so polite and courteous to a world-renowned criminal," I said._

_"No need; we are all criminals here, Madara. If wanting to change the status quo makes you a criminal, then so be it. You have also made no direct contraventions towards us, but several towards the countries that recklessly used our land as the battleground in their selfish wars. You are a welcome ally, Madara," Nagato said._

_"You are too kind. But I have come here to lend you certain information, along with a proposal."_

_"I'm listening."_

_"It originally seemed far-fetched to suggest such a thing to a stranger, but I figured if you had the legendary Rinnegan... and you _did_ just mention that you wanted to change the status quo. May I ask how?"_

_"I wish to bring peace to the world. Wars are senseless and a violation of the sanctity of life. Our dear friend was lost in a war, and I delivered swift retribution to the man responsible. I personally killed Hanzo, along with everyone connected to him. Only a few supporters are left."_

_"Really? You killed Hanzo? May I ask how you did that?" I asked, genuinely curious. Hanzo was a terrifyingly powerful ninja, master of fire jutsus and wielder of the Boil Release kekkei genkai._

_A small smile appeared on Nagato's face, "These eyes are as powerful as the legends claim they are, and more. You are especially privileged to be meeting with me... nearly everyone in this village thinks of their leader as Pain..."_

_"Pain?" I asked. I doubted that it was just a nickname with the way he worded his sentence._

_"Yes, Pain," a voice spoke from behind me. I turned around to see a pale man with spiked orange hair and several piercings on his face. The most striking feature of the man was that he had the Rinnegan!_

_"This man is the one known as Pain. He is the body of my deceased friend, Yahiko. Those piercings are actually a long metal tube that snakes throughout the inside of his body. I can channel my chakra through this metal, giving me control of the body. I can control up to six bodies at once, but the process is severely draining, leaving me little but skin and bones if I control all six for prolonged periods of time," Nagato explained._

_"Are you sure it's wise to explain your powers to this man?" Konan asked, finally speaking up._

_"No need to fear, I am a friend," I said to her as I admired the powers of the Rinnegan. Pain vanished in a puff of smoke and I then turned to Nagato, "And if you seek peace, I have the methods to attain it. Harness the power of the tailed beasts."_

_"The tailed beasts?" Nagato mused to himself._

_"Yes. Have you not heard of the destruction the Kyuubi caused in Konoha a few years back? That was just one tailed beast that had a little over an hour before it was sealed away. Think of what all nine can do. If we can seal them away and directly siphon their chakra, think of the weapon we will have," I said._

_"How will a weapon promote peace?" Nagato asked in a disgruntled tone._

_"The same could be said of diplomacy. If you seek peace, there is simply no rational way of making it through peaceful methods. But if you have a weapon that could wipe out a village in the blink of an eye... then people will listen to you. True peace can only be obtained through force."_

_"I see..." Nagato said as he started to pace about the room, "You have a valid point. We could only create peace in this village using force..."_

_"And I'm sure the holder of the Rinnegan could easily create a method of sealing away the bijuu," I added._

_"But most of the tailed beasts are already sealed inside of people," Konan said. I think she was the quiet type, since this was the second time she had said something since I entered the room._

_"They are... which means we would be declared enemies of the villages if we tried to take their jinchuuriki," Nagato said with concern._

_"Which would be a significant upgrade from a small-time mercenary group, no?" I asked, "And unless you raise enough money to bribe everyone to peace, which is doubtful, you'll just have to keep dealing with wars."_

_"If we are going to attack other villages for their jinchuuriki, then we will need powerful men on our side. The men of this village are not strong enough to undertake such dangerous tasks... and I know just where to find them. Konan, bring me the bingo books."_

_Konan nodded and left the room, quickly returning with several different-colored books. She laid them all out on a table, showing the insignias of several different ninja villages._

_"We will find our men here. Anybody worth a damn will have a bounty on their heads, and that bounty will be in these books," Nagato said. I picked up the Leaf's bingo book and flipped through it. I was somewhat disappointed that my name wasn't in there, but I suppose it was good that I was still regarded as dead to the world._

_"There are nine bijuu," I began, "The One-Tailed Shukaku belongs to the Sand, the Two-Tailed Cat belongs to the Cloud, the Three-Tailed Turtle belongs to the Mist, the Four-Tailed Monkey and the Seven-Tailed Armadillo belong to the Rock, the Five-Tailed Wolf belongs to the Moon, the Six-Tailed Weasel belongs to this village," I started._

_"The host of the weasel is one of Hanzo's supporters. He's the only legitimate remaining threat against our village," Nagato interrupted._

_I continued, "The Eight-Tailed Snake is sealed away in the Land of Rivers, and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox is possessed by the Leaf."_

_"The Eight-Tailed Snake?" Konan asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion, "That's... not correct."_

_"Yes, the Eight-Tails is an ox-like creature. It belongs to the Cloud," Nagato said._

_"That can't be," I said in disbelief, "I've been alive for quite some time. The Cloud never had two tailed beasts, and there was never an ox. It was always a snake. It was sealed away in a man who would eventually become imprisoned in the Whirlpool, which is now the Land of Rivers."_

_"Do you suppose it's possible to... _create_ a tailed beast?" Konan asked with concern._

_"Well... they are just masses of chakra, right? I don't see why they can't be created..." Nagato said._

_"We can deal with the ox later. For now, let's focus on obtaining the legit nine," I said._

_"Actually, we need to focus on recruiting members," Nagato said in a chastising tone._

_"Oh... right..." I said, slightly embarrassed. A thought then entered my head, "Um... they're going to want to know a name of what they're joining, right?"_

_"Akatsuki," Nagato said, "I see no reason to change the name of our organization here in the Rain. And I believe I have found our next member."_

_Nagato laid down a bingo book he had been flipping through during our conversation. The picture on the page was of a dark-skinned man wearing a white hood and a black mask, concealing all of his face except for the area around his eyes. His eyes were of an unusual color: pupilless bright green irides with dark red sclera._

_"Kakuzu Shihaku. A renowned bounty hunter that indiscriminately kills anyone in his way, so long as he gets his bounty. He attempted to assassinate the First Hokage, and he stole a secret technique from his home village, Takigakure," Nagato said._

_"He was alive at the time of the First Hokage? He doesn't even look older than forty!" I exclaimed._

_"The technique could have something to do with it," Konan suggested._

_"It must," Nagato said, "because he is regarded as notoriously powerful, able to use all five elemental affinities. He is also regarded as being immortal and impossible to kill. I'm sure there's a catch, but he sounds like a great ally."_

_"That he does, but what makes you think he'll join us?" I asked._

_"It says here that his one passion in life is money. If we can convince him that joining us will bring him riches, then we're set. If that won't work, we have plenty of money stored in our village."_

_"But what about other members? We need to think of something that can bring them in. We can't simply just cater to their wishes, especially if the bingo books don't mention them," Konan said._

_"Madara... you have been alive for quite some time. What is one thing that you have strived for?" Nagato asked._

_"Immortality," I said without a second thought, "and I have obtained it in some form through a jutsu. Bait these criminals with the promise of immortality. We may not have a method now, but I can think of a way if there is an absolute need to do so."_

_We continued discussing things, and we decided on several things. Nagato decided on ten major members: just enough to pose a threat to ninja villages, but not enough to cause internal fighting. We had narrowed down a few other criminals that we were going to seek out._

_The first was a man known as Zetsu Jeiton, formerly from the Grass Village. He had a very odd appearance, half of his body being white, and the other half being black. He also had some sort of plant that was seemingly attached to his body. Nagato told me that the Jeiton clan of the Grass bonded with plants and utilized their powers. Zetsu had left his village and was a spy for hire. The bingo book didn't know most of his abilities, but it regarded him as one of the finest spies in the world, and we could always use a spy._

_The second was a man from the Rock, Sajin Korura. He had distinct silver hair with a blue tint to it and striking orange eyes. He was a master of earth jutsu, and was formerly highly regarded in his village. He was no longer affiliated with Iwagakure because he refused to carry out a suicide mission during the Third World War, choosing the lives of his friends over direct orders from the Tsuchikage. Nagato said that he would be easy to recruit, as we could just promise destruction of the Tsuchikage._

_The third was a man formerly from the Sand known as Sasori Hiruko. He was a master of the mysterious puppet style utilized by some ninja from Sunagakure. He was also a master of poisons and possessed a huge arsenal of puppets. He had destroyed and/or terrorized many villages in the Land of Wind, and also the Land of Stone to the north, and he was regarded as incredibly dangerous._

_The last of the criminals that caught our eye was Orochimaru Yamaji. He was a callous and cold criminal that wanted nothing more than to learn every jutsu in existence. His lust for power led him down a dark path, and had performed many experiments on innocent people. He defected from Konoha before they discovered his vile actions, and his current whereabouts were unknown. Nagato said that finding him would be difficult, but recruiting him would be simple._

_We decided to split up to cover more ground since these five criminals resided in different countries. I was to track down Kakuzu, Konan was to find Zetsu, and Nagato was searching for Sajin. Sasori and Orochimaru would be searched for after these three, for their known location was less concrete. Nagato didn't have to worry about leaving his village without a leader- he simply just used the body he controlled, his Pain alias, from afar._

_Kakuzu was remarkably easy to find, I checked in to the nearest Bounty Station and asked for the whereabouts of Kakuzu. Surprisingly enough, I was given them with little questions asked, but only a warning of how dangerous he was and that I wouldn't be able to defeat him. I guess Kakuzu's infamy was great enough to warrant several bounty hunters attempting to kill him._

_I traveled to the location given to me: an area in the Land of Fire near the borders of both the Grass and Waterfall countries. The only significant feature in the wooded area was a small, run-down shack. Was this seriously where Kakuzu lived?_

_"So another one has arrived to forfeit their life..." a deep voice spoke as Kakuzu emerged from the shack. He was quite threatening in person, most likely due to his large height._

_"You're mistaken, Kakuzu. I'm not here to collect your bounty. I have a proposal that might interest you," I said._

_"Does it involve money? If it doesn't, I'm not interested," Kakuzu said in a hurry._

_"I assure you, it involves loads of money, and it will be an investment most profitable for you."_

_"Before I can begin forming the concept of trusting you, you'll have to take off that mask," Kakuzu demanded._

_I complied, and I saw Kakuzu's eyes widen as he saw my face. It seems that I was still recognizable to some people even with my youthful appearance._

_"Madara Uchiha?" Kakuzu asked in bewilderment._

_I smiled, "The one and only. As for my offer, I have formed an organization with a few friends of mine. You might know them as the leaders of the rebel force that overthrew Hanzo. One of them has the Rinnegan."_

_"Yes, I've heard some things about them," he said in mild interest._

_"Well, we're planning on conquering the world, and the tailed beasts are the keys to this goal. We need powerful ninja like you to make this daunting task easier. And before you say anything, their organization has lots of money and could use a treasurer. You'll have to keep your hands clean, though. All of the riches of the world can be yours when we seize the world. And your living environment will be much better than... that." I pointed to his shack._

_Kakuzu looked at me, then at his shack. "I think you strike a good bargain, Madara. I'll join as long as I can keep collecting bounties."_

_"Of course. It will take quite some time to capture all nine of the bijuu."_

_"Very well... let me get my stuff," Kakuzu said as he entered his shack. As I waited, I put my mask back on. He emerged a few minutes later holding two rather large briefcases._

_"Let me guess... they're full of money," I said as I stared at them._

_"Millions and millions of ryo," Kakuzu said. Most of his face was obscured, but no doubt there was a cocky smile beneath the cloth covering his mouth._

_I was surprised upon our return to Amegakure. Nagato and Konan had both returned, and they both had brought back their targets._

_"I'm glad that we were all successful bringing in new members," Nagato said with a smile, "and I believe introductions are in order. As the three of you likely know, I am Nagato. My partner here is Konan. The man in the mask over there is none other than Madara Uchiha."_

_Zetsu and Sajin both seemed shocked by this news._

_"Really? _The_ Madara Uchiha?" Zetsu asked._

_"But I thought he died years ago!" Sajin exclaimed with wonder._

_"Heh... the fact that I am alive is one of the greatest secrets of the ninja world," I said._

_"I'm Kakuzu," he said abruptly, "infamous bounty hunter and bounty target. Anyone who's ever tried to kill me has ended up dead. If you'll excuse me..."_

_"Please stay, Kakuzu. We have important information we need to share. And I don't see where you will be going... I haven't told you the layout of this place, let alone where your rooms are," Nagato said, causing Kakuzu to grumble as he sat down._

_Zetsu and Sajin quickly introduced themselves, and Nagato began telling them about their plan, revealing new information that I did not know. Apparently Nagato had a large demonic being sealed in the basement of the tower we were in. It was a product of his Rinnegan, and he modified it to be capable of holding the tailed beasts within it. When Akatsuki is not hunting tailed beasts, its agents and lower members will remain the mercenary group they have always been, and they'll accept jobs for far cheaper than the shinobi nations. This was simply to build trust with smaller villages and to undercut the money gained by the great shinobi nations. We could also use the tailed beasts to create a "disaster," causing the village under attack to hire us to take it out. And then he explained to the new members what we would do once we had obtained all nine bijuu, and he also told them that we planned to have ten members._

_"Ten, eh? Do you have anyone else in mind? I'd assume that you found us through the bingo books," Sajin said as he reclined back in the chair he was sitting in._

_"Just two more members for now: Sasori of the Red Sand and Orochimaru," Konan said._

_"Orochimaru? I think I know where that snake is hiding..." Kakuzu said._

_"And I know where Sasori usually is. I sought him out once to try and hire him to help take down Iwagakure," Sajin said._

_"And I can help in finding them. I can merge with the ground and travel great distances," Zetsu added._

_"Then we will split up into three-man cells to track down our two remaining targets," Nagato said, "Konan and I will track down Orochimaru with Kakuzu, and Madara can search for Sasori with Sajin and Zetsu."_

_It took us a few weeks of searching around the northern areas of the Land of Wind, but we finally found Sasori. It was difficult to convince him to join Akatsuki, but it seemed that in the end he was just playing hard to get. He was just messing with us, causing me to be rather annoyed with him. When we returned, Nagato's team had found Orochimaru._

_"Well, isn't this interesting," Orochimaru said, "Sasori is here, too."_

_Nagato repeated his plan to the new members and he added even more information that I did not know. He had decided on a dress code for the members: the black robes with the red cloud pattern that he and Konan were wearing. He knew that wearing the robes while capturing the tailed beasts will bring negative attention to our organization, but he said that any attention would be good, so long as the mercenary forces got work. He also showed us the forehead protectors he and Konan possessed that had a scratch through the village symbol, which symbolized severing the ties to their old village._

_"...and I have also developed these rings," Nagato said as he laid out ten rings on the table in front of all of us. Each had a kanji symbol on it, and each had a different color, "These rings are crucial to being a member of the elite Akatsuki. These rings are directly tied to me. They will let you send mental messages to anyone through me, and they will also let you participate in the sealing ritual for the bijuu. You can also astral project into the chamber housing the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, which means we can seal the bijuu without actually being present to seal them. As for the rings themselves, they can change size to fit your hand, but only on one finger. They are synced directly to one of the fingers of the Outer Path. I have laid them out in order, and the one I am taking goes on the right thumb."_

_He picked up a ring that was a purplish-gray color and slid it on his right thumb. Konan took a white ring that fit her right middle finger. Kakuzu took a dark green ring for his left middle finger. Zetsu's ring was a lighter shade of green and it was for his right little finger. Sajin took an orange ring for his left index. Sasori's ring was purple and it fit his left thumb, and Orochimaru took a blue ring for his left little finger. I was left with three choices: a teal ring for my right index, a red ring for my right ring finger, or a yellow ring for my left ring finger. I chose the red ring._

_"Good... we are evenly balanced, with four members on each hand. When we are recruiting new members, do not forget to bring these rings with you. If one of our members dies or defects, it is crucial to take the ring back. Do not lose these rings!" Nagato explained._

_He continued, "I have also decided that we shall operate in two-man cells. I have read over your abilities, and I have partnered you all with the person that most compliments your abilities. My partner shall be Konan, as we are used to working and fighting together. Kakuzu shall be partnered with Sajin, as Kakuzu's earth affinity is lacking in comparison to his other four, and Sajin will be able to fill that gap. Sasori and Orochimaru shall work together, as they both can use poisons, several jutsu, and can swarm the enemy with puppets or snakes. Madara shall be partnered with Zetsu, as they have the widest variety of jutsu, letting them cover all of their bases. Now, let me show our newest members their rooms..."_

_A few months had passed without much activity, which bled into the new year. We were all getting used to each other and getting a feel for each other's abilities through sparring and such. I was most impressed by Nagato's vast amount of abilities... the Rinnegan was simply incredible! Everyone else in the organization was also incredibly powerful, with very useful jutsu. I was impressed and proud with all of them, and I was beginning to think that this organization would greatly succeed in any task we tried._

_The period of inactivity was ended when Nagato made an announcement to all of us. The first batch of jinchuuriki that we were to capture had been decided: the host of the Seven-Tailed Armadillo. He was from Iwagakure and was falling out of favor with the Tsuchikage, which would make capturing him easier. The beast was assigned to Kakuzu, and Sajin would be assisting him as his partner. He then assigned the Six-Tailed Weasel to Zetsu, meaning I was to assist him. Konan was assigned to capture the Eight-Tailed Snake, Orochimaru the Five-Tailed Wolf, Sasori the Three-Tailed Turtle, Sajin the Two-Tailed Cat, and Nagato assigned himself the Nine-Tailed Fox. He told us that our assignments did not mean that we were to rush out and capture them as fast as possible. He said that we would take our time and wait for the opportune moment to strike, which could take years. But, for now, Kakuzu and Sajin's target was ready to capture, as well as Zetsu's target._

_Shortly after the meeting, I was approached by Sajin._

_"Yes?" I asked him._

_"This is going to sound rather demanding of me, but..." Sajin started, his voice nervous._

_"Out with it, kid," I barked._

_"Um... yeah... I was... well... we were..."_

_"Just tell me," I sighed._

_"Right! In addition to capturing the Seven-Tails, I also want to assassinate the Tsuchikage. I have strived for vengeance against him. It is the reason I joined this organization, and it seems that it would be an opportune time during this mission. I would feel more confident with the legendary Madara on our side, but it would mean leaving Zetsu to capture the Six-Tails by himself."_

_"Oh, that's no problem," Zetsu said as he emerged from the ground behind us, "I was going to take my time on that, anyway. If you three aren't back by the time I was planning to attack, then I'm sure I could take him out by myself. I have a few tricks up my sleeve..."_

_So it was decided, then. I would be accompanying Sajin and Kakuzu to Iwagakure in an attempt to assassinate the Tsuchikage. We departed for the mission after a day of preparation._

* * *

_"So, who's our target?" Sajin asked Kakuzu. We were on our way to Iwagakure, and we were traveling through the Land of Grass. The Rock Village was pretty much almost directly north from Amegakure, which made travel easy: we just needed a compass to guide ourselves, and no doubt Sajin knew the layout of the Land of Earth well._

_"Shusuke Toguro," Kakuzu said, "A powerful jonin of Iwagakure that has the Seven-Tailed Beast inside of him. He has sharp claws that let him burrow and tunnel underground, no doubt from the bijuu's influence. Apparently, if water touches these claws, it will cause great pain to him, which is good since I am naturally affiliated with water. He controls the ground about him and the terrain, and when he taps into his bijuu's power, he can supposedly terraform the land and use its powers. He's falling out of favor with the village because he is disagreeing with the Tsuchikage's ideas and policies."_

_"Which isn't hard to do..." Sajin grumbled, "the man is stubborn and holds far too much power for such a closed mind."_

_"The Tsuchikage... who is he? The Rock is one of the villages I have never involved myself with," I said._

_"His name is Onoki, and he's the Third Tsuchikage. Much like Konoha, the First and Second Tsuchikage lost their lives in the First Shinobi World War. Onoki has been in power ever since, and his stubbornness and drastic demands are what started the Second Shinobi World War, and his rudeness increased the hostility of the Sand, and is probably what caused them to start the Third Shinobi World War," Sajin explained._

_"Sounds like a prick. What're his powers?" Kakuzu asked._

_"He may seem old and small, but he's very powerful. He can use a jutsu that lets him levitate, and he is the bane of taijutsu users, as he can petrify people with a touch. His most fearful ability is his kekkei genkai. You see, Onoki is of the Ryokuzo bloodline, which is quite similar to the Senju bloodline of Konoha. Their blood is widespread throughout the village, and they possess the capability of inheriting a kekkei genkai. In the Ryokuzo clan's case, it is the Lava Release, which has been held by the First Tsuchikage, Onoki's son, Kitsuchi, and his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi. The First Tsuchikage, Durumaga, was Onoki's father. Somehow, Durumaga had managed to take an incredibly rare kekkei genkai and passed it down through his direct descendants."...But he doesn't have the Lava Release?" I asked._

"No, and that's the strange thing about it. Logically, he should have the Lava Release, but he has a the elemental combination of Durumaga's brother, the Second Tsuchikage."

"I fail to see what is so shocking about that," I said.

"Muu... the Second Tsuchikage. He was the result of a rather dark experiment. The Rock has another kekkei genkai clan... the Hitsume clan. They can fuse earth and wind chakras to make the Explosion Release. The father of the two brothers, obviously, was a Ryokuzo, and his wife was a Hitsume. The father must have altered the DNA of his two children somehow... it's the only explanation. The first child, Durumaga, had the ultra-rare Lava Release and would be able to pass it on to his children. The second child, Muu, had a completely new bloodline composed of three elements. Those elements were the elements that made up the Lava and Explosion Releases: fire, wind, and earth. This new element is the Dust Release."

"So he has the power to throw sand in our eyes. Terrifying," Kakuzu said with a sarcastic tone.

_Sajin shook his head, "Oh, no. He's much stronger than that. The Dust Release is not named for what it manipulates, but what happens to those hit by its jutsu."_

_"Okay, _that_ is actually terrifying," Kakuzu said._

_"Yes... he can create energy that crushes and grinds whatever it hits into dust. But he does have a few weaknesses. His body is frail. While that doesn't mean much when you apply it to a ninja, it does mean that he's not physically strong, nor is he good at taijutsu. He can't take many hits and keep going. He also has quite a temper and can get mad easily. We can use that to our advantage."_

_"I'm sure the three of us together can kill him," I said._

_"Yes, but we won't be at our peak performance. Capturing the jinchuuriki takes priority, and the Tsuchikage comes afterward. And that's only if the conditions are suitable to try and kill him," Kakuzu said in a stern tone._

_"Right..." Sajin said with a hint of defeat in his voice._

_"Don't whine. It took long enough for me to drag you out on this mission," Kakuzu growled._

_"What can I say? I'm always apprehensive before doing a mission. I don't want to screw things up."_

_"Or you just don't want to do the mission," Kakuzu remarked back._

_They continued to throw little quips at each other for the entire trip to Iwagakure. While Nagato may have done a good job grouping these two based on their abilities, there was definitely no synergy in their personalities. Sajin had said we arrived a few days later, but we were in front of mountains. Lots of mountains._

_"Those are mountains, Sajin," Kakuzu helpfully pointed out._

_"And Iwagakure is in these mountains," Sajin sighed._

_"You two... stop bickering like a married couple," I snapped, fed up with their constant bitching, "I know how to lure our jinchuuriki out. I'll just walk in, probe the mind of people with my Sharingan, and see who knows where our jinchuuriki is. I will then cast a genjutsu on them, and they will find him and tell him the Tsuchikage has an important message for him and that he wants to meet him outside of the village."_

_"Sounds good to me," Kakuzu said with a small yawn._

_"Are you sure your genjutsu will go undetected? I mean-" Sajin started. His doubt in my abilities infuriated me. I stared into his eyes, my Sharingan blazing. His eyes widened and he gulped in fright._

_"That's what I thought," I said. I turned away and faced the mountains, "Be back in a bit," I added as I body flickered away. I rushed upward to a tall mountain and saw the village below. I reached it within a few minutes, and used my invisibility jutsu on the way towards it. I began probing the minds of the nearest people, and I quickly found someone who knew the jinchuuriki we were searching for. It was here I realized that the Rock had a second jinchuuriki, but there must have been some reason Nagato did not mention the second jinchuuriki, so I disregarded him._

_I reappeared in front of my two partners, "Now we wait. Who wants to be the 'messenger'?" I asked._

_"It's probably best that it's you," Kakuzu said._

_"Yeah. It certainly can't be me; Shusuke would recognize me," Sajin said._

_"Very well. You two go hide yourselves. I doubt he'll be much trouble, so just jump in once the fighting starts," I said. The two nodded, and then vanished._

_After about an hour of waiting, I finally saw someone approaching in the distance. The man was tall and muscular, his bare chest exposed. He had tanned skin and his head was clean shaven, but he had a beard. He had rather significant claws instead of normal fingers. This was definitely the jinchuuriki._

_"Who are you? I can already tell you're not associated with the Tsuchikage," he growled as he assumed a defensive stance._

_"Your bane," I said as I used a water jutsu that fired a simple jet of water at fast speeds towards his hands. The water struck his claws, causing him to howl in pain. The cracked and dry earth beneath him suddenly rose up and tried to crush him, but he escaped before it crushed him._

_"You didn't do that," he said at me._

_"No shit," Kakuzu said as he emerged from his hiding spot and casted a water jutsu. He lowered the cloth around his mouth and spat out a large amount of water. Shusuke growled and jumped on a rock that was above the shallow lake Kakuzu had created. Sajin took this time to manipulate the rock he was standing on to grow taller and sprout spikes. Shusuke had managed to detect the changes before they occurred, but he foolishly leaped away without seeing if there were any more rocks to stand on._

_There were not any, of course, and he tumbled into the shallow lake. His claws touched the water, causing great pain to him once more. He growled, and an aura of orange chakra surrounded him before exploding into a large shape akin to an armadillo. A hard shell covered his back, and five tails composed of orange chakra whipped about._

_"EVERYONE! GET TO HIGHER GROUND!" Sajin warned. Kakuzu and I didn't question and did so. Shusuke roared and slammed his hands into the water, which suddenly began to bubble and steam as it changed into solid rock. Shusuke roared again, causing the sea of rock to shatter into thousands of pieces of shrapnel that were now rushing towards us._

_Kakuzu appeared in front of us, along with a strange black creature with a mask that I can only assume was a summon. The mask on the creature opened its mouth, and a powerful surge of electricity rushed out of it, destroying the rock and continuing towards Shusuke. The jinchuuriki curled up to protect himself from the attack._

_"It's not working!" Kakuzu cried._

_"Don't worry! He's doomed himself!" Sajin exclaimed as he formed several seals and clapped his hands on the ground. The rock around Shusuke rose up and enveloped him, but it did not crush him. Muffled roars could be heard within the stone prison as it shook about from his struggling, but it didn't break. It showed signs of wear, though._

_"I can't hold him for long!" Sajin warned us._

_"Leave it to me," I said as I charged towards the prison, my Eternal Mangekyo flaring up. Sajin released his jutsu, and as soon as that happened, I fired a shot of Amaterasu from my right eye. The black flames engulfed Shusuke, causing him to scream in pain. I quenched them after a minute because I didn't want to kill him, only knock him out._

_"Kakuzu, take him back to base," I said._

_"Of course," he said as he walked over to Shusuke and picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder. He body flickered away, leaving just me and Sajin._

_"Wow... we defeated Shusuke!" Sajin exclaimed with wonder, "I mean... wow!"_

_"Save the praise, kid. We have the Tsuchikage to deal with, don't we?" I asked._

_Sajin's face paled, "R-Right..."_

_"Oh, come on! This was your idea! Don't back down from it!"_

_"I'm not!" Sajin assured me, "I had just got caught up in the rush of taking down Shusuke that I forgot about Onoki..."_

_"I'm faster than you are. I picked up the strongest signal of chakra while I was briefly in the village. I know his location. Here."_

_I walked over to him and put my invisibility jutsu on him and me. I moved his arm so that it was around my neck, and I body flickered, causing both of us to rush towards Iwagakure._

_We both appeared on the top floor of the Administration Building. Nobody was in the room except Onoki, who was remarkably short. He was standing on a chair so he could look out the window at the village beneath his building. I removed our invisibility jutsu and looked towards Sajin, motioning at him to say something to his hated enemy._

_"Tsuchikage!" Sajin called out. Onoki whirled around in shock, his eyes practically bulging out of his head._

_"How did you get in here? GUA-" he began._

_"Don't even think about it," I commanded in a deep and threatening tone, "The fight here is between the three of us."_

_"You ordered me to lead my friends to death!" Sajin spat, "And then exiled me when I defied your orders! You're a selfish, stubborn old man with too much power!"_

_Sajin's words made him laugh, "Do you even know what a shinobi is, boy? They are a tool! A weapon! Your orders were to fight a losing battle to distract the enemy, and, by the gods, you were supposed to do just that! Go ahead and blame the neglections of your responsibilities on me, but that will not change the fact that you weakened the village and dishonored yourself by disregarding my orders!" Onoki claimed._

_"You ruined my life! You stirred up two world wars! You're the monster here, Onoki, not I!" Sajin shouted._

_"Who's your friend here, boy?" Onoki asked._

_"None of your concern," I said, "or, thinking about it, I should be all of your concern."_

_"Big words from a faceless man! I'll gladly humor you two! Go ahead, try and kill me! It's not the first time pathetic assassins have tried to take my life because they think I'm responsible for the state of things! You'll find it much harder than it seems!" Onoki boasted as he made a few seals. His body lifted itself off of the ground, and he hovered a few feet in the air._

_Sajin used an earth jutsu that made the ground beneath him rise up. The wave of concrete split off, the branched part speeding towards Onoki. The old man simply flew out of the way. Sajin responded to this by causing two chunks of the earth to rip themselves from the ground and speed towards Onoki._

_"Hah! You think you can beat me with earth?" Onoki asked as he made a single seal, inhaled, and then exhaled a single blast of air that ripped apart Sajin's rocks. Onoki then made a few seals and formed a large boulder out of his own chakra which he lifted and hurled at us. In mid-flight it burst apart into several smaller rocks that rained over the large room we were in. Sajin had erected a wall of stone to defend himself, and I simply dodged the rocks. I used a jutsu that caused several pillars of flame to burst out of the ground beneath Onoki, but the short old man just flew out of the way._

_"Sir Tsuchikage!" a few guards exclaimed as they burst in the room. They must have heard the sounds of battle from outside._

_"Bah! Get out of here! I'm fine!" Onoki yelled at his guards, which complied. The distraction was most welcomed, as Sajin had sent a single spire of stone towards the Tsuchikage, which I had enhanced by greatly heating it with fire. Onoki's eyes widened to almost the size of his nose as he swerved out of the way to avoid the jutsu._

_"Stop fucking flying around!" Sajin cursed as he used a jutsu that encased his hands in stone. He jumped up at Onoki and began madly swinging his fists at the Tsuchikage. The ground was rising up as pillars to support Sajin as the old man kept dodging his attacks._

_"Hey, geezer!" I shouted, gaining Onoki's attention. As soon as he looked at me, I fired a simple bolt of electricity that he dodged. He didn't dodge the punch aimed right at him, however. I heard a loud crack as Sajin's earthen fists crashed into the old man's head, sending him falling to the ground._

_"That FUCKING HURT!" Onoki shouted as he flew up into the air, "I'm through playing around! Feel the power of my Dust Release!" he boasted as he held his hands up. A high-pitched ringing was heard as a sphere composed of energy appeared between his hands. A cube of energy encased the sphere, and the shape suddenly grew to a large size. Onoki yelled as he thrust the cube downward towards us. We both leaped out of the way as the area we occupied moments ago was crushed to dust. Before we could even counterattack, the cube burst into several small cubes that began raining down on the room. Thinking quickly, I used a jutsu that made a large surge of electricity pulse through the room. The small cubes vanished, along with my electricity._

_"Ha! I've figured out how to beat your Dust Release, Tsuchikage," I said, "It's composed of earth, wind, and fire chakras, correct? Earth... a matter-based element is in the construction of an energy-based result. So I figured electricity, pure energy, would cancel it out."_

_"Damn you!" Onoki cursed as he formed another sphere between his hands, but this time a cone surrounded it._

_"MADARA! GET OUT OF HERE!" Sajin shouted. That idiot! Why did he mention my name? I turned to chastise him, but he had fled out from a window. Suddenly I didn't feel so good facing the Tsuchikage's next attack._

_The cone between his hands began to grow and spin._

_"Madara, eh? I figured you weren't dead, what with that cursed island and all! But it doesn't matter, because this next attack will pierce right through that blackened heart of yours!"_

_The cone sped towards me, and I had little choice but to retaliate with my Amaterasu technique. The black flames shot forth to consume the energy, but... it pierced right through the flames! My eyes widened as I instinctively used Izanami to save myself. I dashed out of the way and deactivated the technique. I retaliated with another blast of Amaterasu that hit the confused Tsuchikage. He began yelling and flailing about as the fires began consuming him. I smirked and leaped out of the same window Sajin did. I sensed him away from the village, so I followed him._

_I should have stuck around to confirm my kill, but I was in a hurry to escape. Onoki survived the attack, presumably by using his Dust Release on the flames in some way that removed them from his body but protected him from being crushed to dust. Now my identity was known by someone that was not my ally... I suppose it was only a matter of time with my recent activity, but nobody would believe the words of just one man, even if that man was the Tsuchikage._

_I found Sajin near the area where we fought the host of the Seven-Tails. I told him that I almost killed Onoki, but he somehow survived my attack. Sajin was disappointed, but concluded that Onoki was just far too powerful to take down with only two men. I had to agree with him... if not for an instinct, I would have been killed by that cone technique. We both headed back to the base, carrying the shame of defeat on our shoulders._

* * *

_Four months had passed since the attempted assassination of the Tsuchikage. We had sealed two of the nine bijuu (Zetsu had successfully captured the jinchuuriki of the Six-Tails), but I could tell that Nagato wanted to bide his time with these things. I was far too impatient for that. It was time to confront him._

_"Yes, what is it, Madara?" he asked me when I approached him._

_"This organization is moving far too slow for me. I'm leaving," I bluntly said._

_Nagato's countenance held a look of both disbelief and sorrow, "But... Madara!"_

_"Do not worry, Nagato. I will still be with you. It's just that my spot could be better occupied by someone else."_

_"But... that's not true! You're the leader of this organization! You inspired me to reform it in its current state!" Nagato complained. I smiled and chuckled at that comment._

_"Me? The leader? What have I done? You have done all of the work, Nagato. You are a fine leader. And I said I will still be with you, and with this organization. I will be in its shadows, monitoring its progress. I will return when the time is right. You have my promise. As for now..." I removed the ring from my right ring finger and handed it to Nagato, "...this ring is for someone else. Goodbye, Nagato."_

_Before he could say anything, I body flickered out of the tower._

* * *

_I never told Nagato the primary reason why I left. Witnessing the powers the Rinnegan held made me feel inadequate in comparison. I had decided to spend a few years honing my skills to the point of perfection. I will ascend past the Rinnegan itself!_

_My new home was an abandoned cottage I found in the Land of Fire. It was some distance away from Konoha, so I was safe from discovery. Almost every day I thought of one of my many jutsu and began experimenting with ways to improve it. My training would continue uninterrupted for three years, until something most interesting happened..._

_Someone had found my cottage. I heard a knock at my door and opened it to see a young Uchiha man with crimson Sharingan on the other side. His hair was tied back in a low ponytail, the rest of it cheek length and framing his face. He was wearing the gray outfit that the ANBU of Konoha wore. He had long and pronounced tear troughs under his eyes._

_"Madara," the man stated. I was shocked that he knew my identity when I was still wearing my mask. I heavily doubted that Onoki leaked my identity across the world, especially to their enemies in Konoha... no, this man figured it out on his own. I then realized that this man was the second Uchiha prodigy I sensed many years ago._

_"Interesting... most interesting..." I said as I looked up and down the young man, "What is it you want? You're obviously not here to kill me."_

_His face remained fixated in the cold and stern look, "My name is Itachi. I know of the past of our clan, and I know about you. I'm here to strike a deal."_

_"Oh? Is that so?" I asked, genuinely curious._

_"My clan... it is sickening to see how low they have dipped. They've stooped to your level. They plan to violently overthrow the government of Konoha. I'm proposing that we partner up to annihilate the remaining Uchiha. To kill all of them."_

_"That's a strange goal, especially since you sound as if you despise me."_

_"I do. You've poisoned what was once a pure clan. You've planted the seeds of chaos, and they are blooming in my father and other members of the clan. I would try and kill you right now if I could, but you are a necessary ally. I cannot take down the entire clan by myself... so I figured I would seek another man that hated the Uchiha. A man betrayed by them long ago."_

_I thought about his offer. I realized that if the entire clan was wiped out, I could take all of the Sharingan from their corpses. The experiments I could perform on them... they would certainly make me stronger and more knowledgeable._

_"But I convinced Fugaku to plan a coup d'état. Konoha is discriminating against the Uchiha, after all. So wouldn't I be helping Konoha by assisting you? You're wearing ANBU attire... is this a black op you've been put on? Konoha knows they're in trouble, don't they? So they send you to wipe out your entire clan. What sick individuals."_

_I saw the cold look on his face falter for a moment into pure, unbridled rage. Itachi charged towards me and grabbed the scruff of my robes. He stared into the eyehole of my mask, his Sharingan morphing into Mangekyo Sharingan._

_"I have already committed the ultimate sin, Madara. While it is true that Konoha has assigned me to end the uprisings before they start, I harbor a hatred for the Uchiha, as you can see in these eyes. And you _will_ assist me, whether you like it or not."_

_"Big words from a young sapling. But don't worry; I will help you. Only on one condition."_

_"If you are making a condition, then I must as well."_

_I sighed, "Fine. My condition is that I want access to all of the Sharingan of the dead Uchiha. Corpses don't need their eyes anymore, and I wish to experiment on the Sharingan."_

_I saw the emotionless look on Itachi's face slightly falter once more. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly._

_"My condition is that you must not lay hands on Konoha ever again," he said._

_"Very well," I said, a slight smile under my mask. I was not lying to him; I was just manipulating the wording he used. Technically, I never have attacked Konoha. It was the Kyuubi and my army of zombies. And I don't need to attack Konoha in the future: Akatsuki will accomplish that for me._

_"Good. If you break that promise, then I will seek you out, and I will kill you," Itachi said coldly, "Meet me in the Uchiha district at midnight."_

_I waited a bit after Itachi left and finished up what I was doing before heading for Konoha. It was night by the time I arrived, and I sneaked in as I always did: by use of my invisibility jutsu. After darting around town, I found the area where the Uchiha clan had been relocated. As I entered the district, I removed my shroud of invisibility._

_"You're a bit early, Madara," I heard an unfamiliar voice proclaim. I turned towards the direction of the noise to see an older man with black shaggy hair and a small X-shaped scar on his chin. He was leaning on a cane and his countenance was very calm._

_"Who are you? Did Itachi set me up?" I demanded._

_"Don't worry, Madara; Itachi has not deceived you," the man said. I growled. How did he know who I was?_

_"How do you know I am Madara?" I asked._

_"Let's just say that a snake told me."_

_"Orochimaru?"_

_"...This is not what I came here to discuss. I am striking a bargain with you. Of course, you have no choice in the matter, but my demands are simple."_

_I frowned, "What is it?"_

_"You see, I am a member of the council. I could easily report the details of this massacre to the others. Of course, they have ordered the massacre, but they do not know that Madara is an accomplice of Itachi."_

_"How do you know this if Itachi hasn't ratted me out?" I asked in a quiet roar._

_"I have eyes and ears everywhere, Madara. Even where you would least expect it. As for my bargain, I simply ask for a few Sharingan from the bodies of these Uchiha. Not many; just ten or so. Is that a reasonable exchange for keeping your identity secret for a longer period of time? Or... would you rather I reveal everything? Your history with the Mist, the Rain, the Sun. I know it all, Madara," he said, his mouth turning into a wicked smile during his last sentence._

_I had no choice. I couldn't let all of that information leak, "Very well... now get out of here."_

_"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Madara," the man said as he vanished. I balled my hand into a tight fist as I held back my anger. I waited in the area for a few minutes, and then Itachi showed up._

_We silently began the slaughter. I was swift and silent with my killing skills, and for every Uchiha I killed, I plucked out their eyes and summoned them to a refrigeration unit I had set up in my house. After about an hour, I bailed out of there before I had the chance to be discovered, leaving Itachi to finish the job, as well as a few Sharingan behind for that old man._

_When I returned back to my home, I was amazed at the number of Sharingan I had looted. There were easily over a hundred! I began making preservation fluid so I could keep them in jars... and I would need a new home to store all of these..._

* * *

_Eleven years had passed since the Uchiha Massacre, and it was now the present time. In those eleven years, I had perfected every possibility of the Yin Release. My mastery over souls was complete, and my other jutsu had been perfected, as well. I had even taken some lengths to ensure that I would remain alive, even in the off-chance that I would be killed. One of these methods included resurrecting a vessel that I placed in the Akatsuki to keep an eye on it._

_And the reports I receive from the unknowing vessel of mine are unsettling. There is a new member in the Akatsuki that is using my title. I suspected that it was Reiko, finally emerging from the shadows she hid in for twenty years._

_My suspicions would not be confirmed until I sensed my weakest zombie jutsu being used. My plan had been a success in regards to Reiko! I had successfully festered her hatred to the point that she unleashed it against the world! But now I had to finish what she survived two decades ago. She most likely knows all about me, and she must also be punished for using my title. And, most of all, for setting in motion the destruction of a village that was mine to vanquish._

_But there was another reason I was heading towards Konoha. For some time, I had been developing my own plan for world domination... and I think now is the perfect time to achieve it. The end of days will usher forth my new world!_

* * *

Author's Note: If Kishimoto reveals something that makes any part of this chapter difficult to work around upon editing it to match said revelations (unless I can work around them in a different way, such as the tailed beasts), I will not be a happy person. And since with the recent (as of Janurary 26) spoilers of chapter 525, he has revealed things that have required me to edit small parts of the chapter. So I shall simply make a little changelog here of what I have edited, and when.

01/26/11: Changed Onoki's Dust Release story to fit the revealing that the Dust Release is composed of three elements, not two as I had originally suspected. The Second Mizukage was revealed, and he certainly isn't the age of my Second Mizukage, so I fixed that up. Taro is now a Village Ruler of sorts that advised the Second Mizukage, his elder brother. When the Second Mizukage died, he assumed control over the village, but was never officially a Kage. For all intents and purposes, he is considered one by the village and the rest of the world. The part of chapter 8 where Gaara talks to the other Kages has been slightly edited to reflect this.

09/21/11: The Second Mizukage is of the Houzuki clan, so Taro and he are now spiritual brothers.

5/25/12: So canon Izanami is rather different than Madara's Izanami, but only in execution: the concept is the same. But Izanami's sole reason for existing in the manga makes little sense (unless the Uchiha were a clan full of blind people) so I'll just ignore it.

9/25/13: I've been ignoring most of the revelations in canon, because they're worse than mine (and awful) and I refuse to adapt to them. But this chapter showed the first Kages, and I liked the Mizukage's design. Unfortunately, there was little way to work him in other than a brief mention. If Madara never stepped in, he would have become Mizukage... but unfortunately for this alternate timeline, he did.


	11. The Joint Attack and Fleeting Life

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 11:

Shizune's group stood before Konoha Hospital. The building looked forlorn and destitute in its current state- some of the windows on the three-story building were shattered or stained with blood. The large glass doors were broken, and the building looked rather dark inside. The task of investigating the whole hospital seemed daunting with the other wings of the infirmary, especially since they included a few five-story towers that had been added on to the building after the Kyuubi's attack sixteen years ago.

"So... what are we going to do?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence. The prospect of searching a creepy hospital in the dark was not a pleasant one.

"I have a few flash bombs, but those will only provide light for a short moment... not to mention, they'll probably blind us for a longer period of time than the light they make even lasts..." Shikamaru said with a sigh as he glanced down at his feet.

"I know the layout of this place like the back of my hand," Shizune said with confidence, "so even if we can't see; I can guide us around the place."

Kurenai shook her head, "I'd rather not fight any of those creatures in the dark. My apartment complex was bad enough, and this place will only be worse."

"Maybe you can draw some creatures to scout out the place, Sai," Yamato suggested.

"I could... but we would all have to wait for quite some time. My drawings can only relay sound back to me... I wouldn't be able to see anything or tell where they are if they're out of my sight. It's not a good idea," Sai said calmly with the usual blank look on his face.

"Hey, Kiba," Naruto said as he turned to the Inuzuka boy, "Can't you smell anyone inside the building? I mean, you have super smelling powers, don't you?"

"You can't be serious, can you?" Kiba asked with a look of incredulous disbelief towards Naruto.

"What? Of... of course I'm serious!" Naruto stammered as he glared at Kiba.

"I'm not focusing chakra in my nose just so I can take a fresh breath of dead people! There'd be no way I'd be able to pick out the scent of living people with all of the corpses lying around this village."

Naruto was about to suggest if he could filter certain scents out, but he realized that all that Kiba had was an enhanced sense of smell, not some sort of mystical wonder nose.

"Well, looks like going in the darkness is our only choice," Shikamaru said in a dull tone.

"Actually, there's a generator in the basement of the hospital. It should have kicked in when the power went out... maybe the ex-Akatsuki sabotaged it so it wouldn't turn on. But if it's not demolished, then I can probably get it running again," Shizune said.

"Why would they sabotage a generator?" Naruto asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, but they managed to get rid of the people that project the detection barrier around the village, and they managed to cut all of our electronic communications. Sabotaging a generator of the only hospital seems like something they'd do to kill even more people and cause additional chaos."

The sound of Akamaru growling brought attention towards the dog. He was arched in an aggressive position, and he was facing away from them. It was easy to tell what he was growling about: a small group of zombies was approaching them from the distance.

"Let's move, then," Shizune said after a moment. There were no objections from the group as they stepped inside of the barren hospital. The building was mostly shrouded in darkness, save for the dim light from the windows that illuminated patches of the black. The light from the entrance only lit a few feet in area before it tapered off into darkness. Dried blood was already visible on the floor, and the faint suggestions of furniture in the dusk of the room showed that they were askew in ways that could have only caused by struggle.

"Okay, we need to get in a single file line and tread carefully. Once we're in a line, grab the shoulder of the person in front of you. Kiba, that means that you will be in the back with Akamaru," Shizune said. No words were said as the group adjusted their position and began moving slowly.

Shizune proceeded carefully, making sure her hand was touching a wall to guide her. No sounds could be heard in the building other than their slow footsteps and their breathing. Shizune could hear her heart pounding in her chest, as she was greatly afraid that a zombie might jump out at them.

Fortunately for them, that did not happen. They safely made it to the basement without so much as a sound from anything other than themselves. On the far side of the room was a small red light that indicated that the generator was not working.

"Okay, we're safe down here. We can break rank," Shizune said as the group did so. She walked over to the generator and leaned close to the light, hoping to be able to see with the dim red glow. She frowned when she saw that she could barely see anything at all. She then got an idea.

"Hey, Shikamaru... come over near the red light," Shizune said. As Shikamaru approached she said, "Everybody turn away from the corner adjacent to this red light."

"Ah, I see," Shikamaru said as he reached into the pouches of his flak jacket and produced the flash bombs, "you're going to have me use the flash bombs to see the generator for a split second. You sure you can pull it off?"

"I can try..." Shizune said, "Just throw one into that corner when I say so." She then raised her voice, directing it towards the rest of her group, "Everyone, look away from that area! Shikamaru will use his flash bombs so I can see glimpses of the generator! Shikamaru, now!"

Shikamaru tossed one of the flash bombs in the specified corner. A very bright light shone from where the bomb impacted the ground, giving Shizune a brief glimpse of a part of the generator that would normally have a screwed-on panel covering it. It seems whoever sabotaged the generator wasn't discreet in hiding that they sabotaged it in the first place. She made her way over to the panel.

"Another one," she said. Shikamaru complied, and the bright shine of the flash bomb showed that some wires had been crudely ripped off of the panel. Other than that, the rest of the generator seemed fine.

"How many more flash bombs do you have?" Shizune asked.

"Six left," Shikamaru said. Shizune bit her lip upon hearing those words. She had repaired electric devices before, but never in these conditions.

"Everyone else, can you feel around this room? I'm looking for a toolbox that should be somewhere nearby," Shizune asked. After a bit of the group searching, someone had found the toolbox and brought it to Shizune. She ordered Shikamaru to use another flash bomb to see the contents of the toolbox. She saw replacement wires, and she removed them from the container. She laid them out separated from each other and was about to call for Shikamaru to use another flash bomb.

"Hold on," Kurenai said as she walked over to Shizune, "I think I know how to help. I can use genjutsu to trick your mind into thinking that the room is as bright as when the flash bomb illuminates it. I just need to time it perfectly with the next flash bomb going off."

Shizune nodded and ordered Shikamaru to detonate the next flash bomb. Kurenai locked eyes with Shizune and used a genjutsu the moment the light escaped from the bomb. Shizune blinked in a stupor as her eyes adjusted. It had worked! Everything was bright now!

"Thank goodness it worked... give me a moment as I replace these wires," Shizune said as she fervently began to work. Within a few minutes, she had completed the repairs. She stood up and looked around the room until she found the switch that would turn the generator on. She moved her hand over to it, but she paused before she pressed it. She realized that if she turned on the power now, she would be blinded due to her genjutsu-enhanced vision. She released Kurenai's illusion, and then threw the switch.

The generator started roaring as it sprung to life. The lights flickered a bit before staying on, and the hum of the flow of electricity being restored was heard. The group cheered in delight at their victory. They went upstairs and saw the mess that was the lobby now that the electricity had been restored. Even then they saw no zombies... not even any visible outside of the doorway.

"Where should we begin to look?" Kiba asked, "Should we split up?"

"The hospital is rather large..." Yamato said as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"No... it's a bad idea to split up," Naruto said, "It'd be too easy to get lost or get ambushed by a zombie."

"If you were a survivor heading to the hospital, why would you go there?" Shikamaru asked rhetorically.

"To get medical supplies, of course," Shizune responded.

"Exactly. We search the rooms with the most medical supplies, we find our survivors," he said with confidence.

"There's a room full of supplies nearby; follow me!" Shizune urged the group as she began briskly walking down a hallway. The rest of the group followed, hopeful that they had finally found the key to discovering some other survivors. They traveled down a long hallway devoid of any life, and they all instinctively stopped when they heard Akamaru growl. They had been used to the dog detecting any approaching zombies while they were traveling to the hospital. He had been a viable asset, but right now there seemed to be no zombies around at all. Not even the rooms that had their doors busted down had any zombies inside.

"What is it, boy?" Kiba asked. Akamaru growled some more before it faded away into a whimper. Kiba paled at whatever Akamaru was saying to him. He quickly turned towards Shizune, who was ahead of the group.

"MOVE, NOW!" he yelled. Shizune was about to move, and then a ferocious roar was heard. The window she was near shattered as a furred form flew through it and tackled her to the ground. It was Kuromaru! The dog snapped its jaws at her while she struggled to keep it off of her.

Yamato made a small pillar of wood that slammed into the wolf-life dog, knocking it off of her. It quickly straightened its body and roared as it began running towards Shizune once more. It yelped as a kunai thrown by Shizune penetrated its head. The dog fell down in mid-run, and it was now still.

"That was too fucking close..." Shizune said breathlessly, her heart still pounding from the near-death encounter.

"Damn it, start moving!" Kiba yelled as he and Akamaru began running down the hallway. The group took no time to question the Inuzuka boy, and they followed him. More windows crashing were heard. Naruto took a look behind his shoulder to see some zombified Inuzuka clan members and their canine companions chasing after them.

"They must have tracked my scent down!" Kiba explained as he continued to run. Yamato stopped and turned around as he quickly formed some seals and slammed his hands against the ground. A thick wall of wood emerged a few feet in front of him, and the sound of several bodies colliding with the wall was heard.

"Keep moving!" Shikamaru said, "They'll probably figure out how to circumvent the wall by using the windows!"

"The supply room's nearby! If we hurry, we can get there before they start chasing us again!" Shizune exclaimed. They continued running, and soon there were two large double doors next to them. Shizune threw them open, and the group ran inside. Luckily for them there were no zombies inside of the room. She closed the doors, took a nearby broom, and placed the handle through the door handles in a crude barricade.

The group took a few moments to catch their breath. This room seemed completely untouched, and there were no other people inside of the room. That didn't matter to the group currently: they had the problem of the Inuzuka zombies to deal with.

"There's a space between that door and the flow. When they show up, I can bind them with my shadow," Shikamaru said, "then they should be easy to take out."

The group produced several kunai as they awaited the arrival of the zombies. The sound of dogs growling and people snarling could be heard before the zombies began pounding on the door. Shikamaru used his Shadow Possession Jutsu, and his shadow extended itself and slipped underneath the door. The blows on the door ceased as the zombies became paralyzed due to the jutsu's effects.

Sai and Naruto threw open the doors as the others threw kunai at the skulls of the zombies. They all fell down, dead once more, and Yamato made the wooden wall in the distance sink back into the ground, as there was no use for it anymore.

"That was _too_ close..." Kurenai sighed with relief.

"Is that all, boy? Are any others heading this way?" Kiba asked his canine companion. Akamaru lightly barked and wagged his tail.

"We're safe for now, besides for the zombies elsewhere in this hospital," Kiba explained.

Naruto looked around the room in confusion, "Why does this room look untouched? _Are_ there any living people in this building?"

"Perhaps there were zombies in this area of the building earlier, but now they're elsewhere," Sai suggested.

"That could be... the power was also off, remember? There aren't any windows by this door, and therefore no source of light. I was foolish to come here first... there's another room like this one on the second floor, and it's near some windows," Shizune said with a small frown.

"That seems to be our next destination, then," Yamato said, "Sai, could you make a quick scan of the above floor?"

Sai nodded as he produced the scroll that he drew on. He unfurled it, took out a pen, and quickly sketched a few mice. The animals sprung off of the paper and ran out of the room. While they were waiting, Yamato drug the carcasses of the zombies they had killed near one of the broken windows and threw them outside of the building just so they didn't have to see them anymore. When he returned, the rest of the group seemed ready to move.

"Did you pick anything up, Sai?" Yamato asked.

"There are quite a few of those creatures upstairs," he said in a calm tone. Yamato looked at everyone else and realized that he would have picked up on that piece of information just by seeing all of the weapons in the hands of the group.

"Let's move. Follow me carefully, and be on the lookout for any zombies that try to sneak up on us," Shizune said sternly. The group nodded, and they set off. They went up the nearby stairway that led to the second floor, and they were greeted by a few zombies that appeared to have been patients in the hospital. The three patients all slowly turned their heads towards the group, but they were put down by thrown kunai before they could moan and alert any other nearby zombies.

Shizune signaled the group to stay back as she approached a nearby corner. She laid her back against the wall and peeked over the corner to see what lied in store for them in the nearby hallway. She turned around and walked back over to the others.

"The room we're looking for is on the other end of that nearby hallway. There just seem to be a few stragglers in our way... but there are many rooms on the left wall. Be careful," she whispered. The group began moving once more, weapons in hand.

When they entered the hallway, they could see a few zombies in the distance, along with large double doors that matched those of the supply room downstairs. As they slowly moved down the hallway, they could hear chewing and smacking sounds nearby. It was apparent where they were coming from- the nearby rooms. The zombies were dining on the patients that had died when the power went out and turned off equipment essential to their continued life. The group moved with great caution so they did not direct any attention to themselves.

They would have succeeded if Akamaru's nails weren't clicking against the tiled floor. The ragged sound of a man moaning was the sign that their attempts at stealth had failed.

"Run for it!" Shizune commanded as she began sprinting down the hallway. The others followed suit, hoping to reach the supply room before all of the zombies in this particular corridor surrounded them. That attempt failed as zombified patients, medical staff, and civilians poured out of the rooms ahead of them.

"Shit!" Kiba swore as he heard a snarl from behind. He turned around to see a female medic-nin lunging at him, her left cheek split open from a previous attack. He jammed the kunai he was holding through the bottom of her jaw, and she fell to the ground, dead.

Yamato and Sai both dealt with the zombies in front of them. Sai quickly drew two lions that charged into the small crowd and knocked them down. Yamato finished them off by creating several wooden spikes that burst out of the floor and pierced through their skulls.

"Keep moving!" Shizune urged as they ran from the zombies behind them and stepped over the corpses of the zombies in front of them. Shizune ran to the supply room doors and threw them open.

"AAAHHH!" she screamed as cold hands tightly gripped her arm. The zombie that grabbed her ravenously groaned as it moved its head towards her arm. Shizune took the kunai in her free hand and slammed it into the zombie's head. The man's grip loosened as he fell down, and Shizune backpedaled a few steps as the zombies inside of the room approached them. These zombies were wearing flak jackets and other attire common to Konoha shinobi.

"I'll deal with them! You guys get the ones behind us!" Shizune exclaimed as she lifted up one of her sleeves, revealing a needle-launching device. She pulled the strings on the end of the device, firing five senbon with pinpoint accuracy into the eyes of five of the ten approaching zombies. She reached into her robes and produced five more senbon that she simply threw with her hand, dispatching the other five. She looked behind her shoulder to see that the zombies behind them had been taken care of.

"That was close..." she said with a sigh of relief.

"Well, I think we found our 'survivors'..." Yamato said grimly as he stared at the bodies of the undead that had attacked Shizune.

"There could be clues in this room as to what happened," Shikamaru said, "maybe some survivors escaped."

The group agreed with Shikamaru, and they all entered the room. Some medical supplies were on the floor, and they looked as if they had been used. Shortly after they entered the traces of a foul smell wafted throughout the room. The source of the rotten scent would soon be made apparent.

"Oh gods!" Kurenai shrieked as she took a few steps back in disgust. The others looked to see what she had found, and they, too, recoiled in disgust. Partly from the powerful stench that greeted their noses, and partly from the sickening sight.

Sitting in the corner of the room was a body of a man in a Konoha flak jacket. His head was leaning back, fully exposing the dead stare of one blue eye, showing that he had never turned into a zombie before he was killed. The other eye was not visible, as the handle of a kunai protruded from the eye socket. Blood flowed down from the eye wound and caressed his tongue, which was swollen and lolling out of his open mouth.

The worst part was the dark pool of blood that stained his clothing and spread about the floor around his body. It was apparent that the zombies in the room had eaten much of his body, as both of his legs had been torn off and one of his arms was covered in various bite wounds. The legs lay on the ground near him, also covered in various bite wounds. There was a tremendous cavity in his abdominal region, and some of his intestines were hanging out of the hole. Pieces of bloody torn flesh hung loosely from the top of the hole, and his bottom ribs were visible. Various globules of bloody fat and flesh lay scattered around his body. Lying near one of his hands was a wet and bloody piece of paper.

Shizune knew that the piece of paper likely contained important information. She covered her nose with one of her sleeves as she walked closer to the gruesome corpse. She leaned down and tried to avert her eyes from the body as she picked up the note. She quickly backed away from the body and turned away. A glance at the note showed that even though blood stained the paper, the dark ink on the parchment was still visible.

"What's it say?" Naruto asked.

"Let's get out of here first before I vomit because of that awful smell..." Shizune groaned. The group left the room and closed the doors, and a quick scan of the area showed that there were no zombies around except for the several corpses littering the hallway. They walked to the next corridor to get away from all of the bodies, and Shizune looked at the note again.

"'Sorry about the mess,'" she read, "'The others got away. Read the encyclopedia of poisons to find them.'"

"What does it mean?" Kiba asked.

"Well, it seems that there were survivors holed up in that room, but one of them turned or something. It seemed that man sacrificed himself so the others could get out," Kurenai said.

"Read a book to find them? How will that help?" Yamato asked.

"There were bookshelves in the lobby... maybe they left a note inside that book," Shikamaru suggested.

"Well, it beats standing around here. Let's see if we can find the survivors he's talking about," Naruto said. The group nodded, and Shizune placed the note in front of the door in case someone else happened across it later. They took another stairway down to the first floor, and made their way back to the lobby. There were a few bookshelves in the room, and there was one behind the receptionist's desk. They began looking through the bookshelves, save for Shikamaru, who simply looked around the room.

"Guys, the book is on the bookshelf behind the receptionist's desk," Shikamaru said.

"How do you know that?" Yamato asked.

"Look at it compared to the other things behind the desk. It looks undisturbed, while the other objects have been moved about. All of the books also seem to be intact on the shelf, unlike these other bookshelves."

They made their way to the bookshelf behind the desk, and Shizune quickly skimmed over the spines of each book until she found one entitled _The Encyclopedia of Poisons_. She removed the rather large book and opened the cover, expecting to find another note. She didn't, and she began flipping through the encyclopedia in hope of finding a note wedged somewhere in the book.

"Great... nothing happened," Kiba sighed in annoyance.

"Do you think there's a hidden passage behind this bookshelf?" Sai asked.

"Seriously? This isn't a movie, Sai," Naruto said in a chastising tone.

"Of course it isn't a movie. If it was, your penis would be larger," replied Sai with a bright smile that had a vicious mocking undertone.

"What! That doesn't even make sense!" Naruto yelled.

"Yes it does. It just seems that your penis is as large as your brain," Sai said.

"Cut it out, you two," Yamato said in a fed-up tone, which made the two cease their bickering. Naruto shot Sai a dirty look, to which the pale boy just smiled at. A cruel, mocking smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Actually, Sai may have a point... not about the penis thing, though," Shikamaru mused as he looked up and down the bookshelf. Before Sai could gloat about this to Naruto, Shikamaru continued, "This bookshelf seems much different from the other ones in this room. I wonder..."

Shikamaru removed the two books that were adjacent to the hole where _The Encyclopedia of Poisons _once occupied. He set the books down and leaned towards the hole.

"Shizune, you can stop looking through that book; there's no note inside. There's a discoloration in the back of this bookshelf where it used to be." He reached into the space and pressed the back of the bookshelf. Much to his surprise, the discolored section sank in the wall much like a button. The bookshelf began to rumble, and Shikamaru withdrew his arm as it moved back into the wall before sliding to the left, revealing a tunnel leading downward.

"Oh my... I've worked in this hospital for many years, and I had no idea such a thing existed," Shizune said with wonder as she saw the secret passageway.

"Well... it's not entirely out of reason," Yamato said, "It would make sense that there would be all sorts of tunnels out of buildings in emergency situations. It seems that some of them were forgotten by most as time passed."

"I'm sure we can find this out by asking whoever is down here," Shikamaru said as he stepped into the tunnel. The others followed, and after they were a certain distance into the tunnel, the bookshelf returned to its normal position, closing them in the tunnel. The only light was from very dim lights that lined the walls of the tunnel. They continued following the passage, the lights on the wall guiding them. Eventually, they reached a dead end.

"What? Was this a trap? How are we going to get out of here?" Naruto said, his voice rising into a panic.

"Calm down... we haven't reached a dead end. Look at the walls of the tunnel and the wall in our way," Shikamaru said. Naruto did so. The walls of the tunnel were rough and untamed, while the wall in front of them was impossibly flat and smooth. Shikamaru leaned towards the wall and pressed his ear against it. He then tapped the wall twice with his hand.

"It's hollow, and rather thin. I think the wall slides out of the way."

He pushed the wall to the left, and sure enough, it moved. Light poured into the tunnel as the false wall moved, revealing to the group a well-lit and well-furnished room.

Shizune gasped, "This is the same room the secret passageway in the Hokage's office leads to!"

"Not exactly, but they are identical in design," they heard a familiar deep voice say. They turned towards the voice and saw the scarred face of Ibiki Morino, the commander of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Force.

"Wait, am I hearing other people talking?" Another voice asked as he walked into the visible room from another room in the underground chamber. It was Genma Shiranui, who Naruto recognized as the proctor in the final stage of the Chunin Exams three years ago.

"This is great!" Another voice exclaimed, this one female. They turned to see an attractive civilian woman with a voluptuous figure and fiery red hair, "It was getting boring with just these four down here."

"Introductions and pleasantries can wait. We have some things to discuss," Ibiki said, taking on a serious tone. He sat on one of the many chairs that surrounded a large circular table in the middle of the room, "Come and sit."

The group did so, and the other two people that the civilian woman mentioned showed themselves, both of them medic-nin: a woman with chin-length brown hair, and a man with brown hair tied tightly into a low ponytail with a few bangs loose. There were just enough chairs to seat the twelve of them, and Akamaru curled up on the floor nearby, happy to finally get some rest.

"I have a few questions for you, Shizune," Ibiki asked as he looked at the newcomers.

"I know what you're going to ask already," Shizune said, "Lady Tsunade is fine, as far as we know. We made the decision to split up earlier today to cover more ground while we searched for survivors," she said, "we're to meet back up at the Administration Building by sundown."

"That is a relief," Ibiki said, "Do you know anything about what has happened this horrible day?"

"Do we ever. Naruto, Sakura, and... Kakashi, who is no longer with us, fought them earlier in the day, and they've been dangerous threats to us so far. They are two ex-Akatsuki members... one of them is a jinchuuriki, and the other is a mysterious cloaked woman that is likely the one that used the jutsu that created those foul creatures. Do you have any information?"

"Well... I was taking a morning stroll when Genma ran up to me, looking worried. He told me about the zombies. I didn't believe him at first, but I guess you can assume what happened afterward. We searched many buildings in the village and rounded up any survivors that we found. We decided to hole up in the hospital, since it would be logical that other people might head there for supplies. Unfortunately, the hospital was quite populated. Some survivors cracked and fled the building. We ended up holing ourselves in the supply room on the second floor. Someone in our group was infected and hid that from us, so they turned inside of the room. One man valiantly sacrificed himself so we could escape. Ken, the man with the ponytail, said that he knew a secret passageway. He and his twin sister, Megumi, were already hiding in the supply room. The civilian woman was in our group for quite some time. Her name is Juli."

"Juli?" Yamato asked, his eyes wide with realization.

"Yes?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Yamato's reaction to hearing her name.

"Did you know a man named Tokiro Mizushima?"

"Yes! He's my boyfriend! What happened to him?" Juli asked, her countenance worried and her voice anxious.

"I'm sorry, but he didn't make it..." Yamato said sadly, "He sacrificed himself so I could escape."

Juli's jaw slowly dropped as tears began to form in her eyes. They slowly began to cascade down her cheeks as her mouth closed and her expression became pained and saddened.

"Excuse me," she said as she got up and briskly walked away into one of the other rooms.

"We've all had it hard today..." the medic-nin known as Ken said.

"Yeah... I was supposed to meet with Iruka today to discuss some things..." Genma said lowly, "Wonder if he's okay. Hell, there are many people that I don't know if they're okay or not."

Upon hearing Iruka's name, Naruto's heart felt as if it stopped beating. In his rush to save Sakura earlier in the morning, he had forgotten about Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei! Where is he?" Naruto frantically yelled at Genma.

"I-I don't know! We were supposed to meet at the academy after-" Genma began.

"I HAVE TO FIND HIM!" Naruto yelled as tears flowed down his face.

"Naruto! It's too dangerous to go off on your own!" Kurenai exclaimed, but her words fell on deaf ears. Naruto sprinted towards the wall they had entered the room from and slid it open.

"Damn it! Get back here!" Ibiki swore.

"We have to get him! He's endangering himself by foolishly charging out into the village!" Shizune urged the others.

"And that bookcase won't stop him... it can still be knocked over..." Genma said grimly.

"Why should we go after him?" Ken asked in a cold tone, "Let the idiot rot out there! Make him realize how stupid his actions were!"

"Ken! That's not nice!" Megumi exclaimed, but even then her voice was still quiet.

"Normally, I might agree with you... if things were normal. We need all of the survivors we can find," Ibiki said, "And I might agree with you if that kid wasn't Naruto. You know, the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails?"

Ken's face held a shocked expression as he heard that, "I... I didn't know! I'm sorry!"

"Who cares? The more we sit around talking, the higher chance that Naruto is going to get into danger! He's likely heading towards the academy right now. Let's go!" Shikamaru urged the others. Megumi went to get Juli, and the group left the safety of the secret underground room to chase after Naruto... though he already had gained a huge start...

* * *

Two newly-dead corpses fell to the ground as two kunai penetrated their skulls. Tenten smiled at her kills, and now that the path was clear, she and her group resumed movement.

"This is seriously bothering me," Sakura suddenly spoke up, looking at Tsunade with a piercing gaze, "Just what did Madara do? What made him so infamous?"

"Look... now is not the time. There are plenty of buildings that-" Tsunade began, but she was quickly cut off by Neji.

"I have my Byakugan on. There is nobody alive in our general vicinity, and there are no zombies around, either."

"So now you have no excuses, Lady Hokage," Guy said with a sparkly grin, "and I, too, wish to know of Madara!"

Tsunade sighed, "Fine... you all win. Hanabi, can you use your Byakugan's extended sight to scry the surrounding area for any survivors?" The young girl nodded and activated her doujutsu. Tsunade looked down, paced about for a bit, and then looked up at her group.

"I'm sure most of you heard Madara's boasts that he killed my grandfather, the First Hokage, along with his cries that none of you knew the true history of the village."

She paused to see if anyone had any questions, but they were all silent. She continued, "Well, I'm going to fix that in as brief of a time as possible. Before this village existed, there were many clans hired by feudal lords that were warring over control of the country. The war eventually died down, and ten prominent clans, the three most prominent being the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Senju, helped build the village. The Hokage was to be elected by the people. From what I understand, Madara and his good friend who was the head of the Hyuga clan promised to vote for each other. Hashirama- that is, the First Hokage- tied with Madara on the last election. The person who broke the tie was Madara's good friend... and he broke his promise. I don't know why, but I presume this wounded Madara greatly, for he killed the head of the Hyuga clan that night."

"That was why my great uncle died?" Neji asked with anger in his voice, "Because Madara didn't get to become Hokage?"

"I agree; it's childish," Tsunade said, "and he was exiled from the village because of his acts. He cursed the village, especially the Hyuga and Senju clans."

"Hold on... just who are the Senju? I have never heard of them," Lee asked, "I find this particularly unusual if they were one of the three main clans of this village!"

"Their blood became too widespread, too diluted. Most of the people in this village have Senju blood in them. The First and Second Hokage were both Senju."

"Then that means..." Shino said.

"Yes... I am a Senju," Tsunade said, "One of the few left with enough Senju blood to be worthy of carrying the clan name."

"So what happened after he was exiled?" Hinata asked with worry in her voice.

"He was out for blood. He returned a few years later with an army on his side... an army of the dead."

"Wait, so you mean-" Sakura said.

"Yes... Madara created the very jutsu that is currently overwhelming our village. Back then, Konoha was more fortunate than us... they managed to defeat the army of the dead with only about a fifth of the shinobi force dying in the attack, as opposed to nearly all of them today. My grandfather lured Madara out of the village and fought him at what is now known as the Valley of the End. He defeated Madara, but was severely injured in the battle. His younger brother, who would become the Second Hokage, finished Madara off."

"But he didn't die," Guy said.

"Apparently not. I mean, there were several times in the past that strange occurrences had happened that could be linked to Madara, but he was apparently dead, so nobody thought of it much. But one event... one in particular that happened twenty-five years ago..." Tsunade said, her voice taking on a grave tone.

_This is it! She's finally going to explain what happened!_ Sakura thought with excitement.

"Oh no!" Hanabi exclaimed in fright. Everyone turned to her.

"What? What is it?" Neji asked with concern.

"The... the two rogue Akatsuki! They're heading this way!" she said with fear in her voice.

"Shit!" Tsunade swore, "I'll tell you the rest later! For now, get ready!"

As if on cue, the two behind the current zombie outbreak landed a few yards in front of them: the blue-haired jinchuuriki Kenokami and the cloaked Uchiha girl Reiko. Kenokami was holding a massive blade in his hands, and his wolf-like eyes hovered over the nine in Tsunade's group.

"What the hell do you want?" Tsunade spat at the two.

"We're here to kill you," Kenokami said in a serious tone as he raised his massive sword with one hand and pointed it at the group of nine.

"Well, you look quite strong!" Guy exclaimed as he stepped forward, his face showing no signs of anxiety. In fact, he seemed excited, "How about you take on my team and me!"

Kenokami smirked, revealing his sharp canines, "Fine by me! I tear you and your team apart!"

Kenokami body flickered away, and Guy, Lee, Tenten, and Neji pursued him. This left Tsunade, Sakura, Shino, Hinata, and Hanabi in the street with Reiko.

"Hinata... take Hanabi somewhere safe and watch over her!" Sakura urged the Hyuga girl, "This woman is far too dangerous for you two to fight!"

"But... what about you?" Hinata asked with immense fright, the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes.

"We'll be fine! Just go!" Shino urged his teammate. This seemed to spur Hinata into action. She took her little sister and fled down an alleyway, presumably entering one of the many abandoned buildings nearby.

"It's useless to hide. I'll find them after I've killed the three of you," Reiko said as she took a few steps forward, but her threat would go ignored. Two blades emerged from the sleeves of her robes with the sound of metal sliding against metal. There had to have been some sort of device on her wrists that contained the blades.

"I presume it's empty around here because you didn't want any interference?" Tsunade asked with a stern tone as she carefully eyed the cloaked woman walking slowly towards her.

"That would be correct. There are other living people in the village, and it would be useless to have several undead just lumbering about. I had to give them a little push in the right direction."

"You bitch... why are you so focused on wiping out everybody in this village?" the Hokage asked with vehement disgust towards the Uchiha girl in front of her, but her question would go unanswered.

"Die," Reiko said as she charged forward and thrust her blades at Tsunade. She expected some sort of technique that would halt her charge, but not the insects of the Aburame boy! If her face was visible from under the shadowed hood, her three opponents would see her grimace as the many Kikaichu insects that Shino had sent forth began to swarm her body. They began to bite through her clothing and started to absorb her chakra... but she wouldn't allow it. She activated the latent clone technique she had used before the battle began.

To the three, it would appear as if she simply exploded in a burst of flame. The charred carcasses of hundreds of insects fell to the ground, with not a single one remaining alive.

"Be careful! That was an exploding clone! She's still around here!" Sakura exclaimed. As soon as these words were said, Reiko appeared out of thin air behind Tsunade and Sakura, blades poised to strike. Tsunade sensed the disturbance in the air behind her and whirled around, sending a powerful punch into the cloaked woman's gut. She immediately coughed up blood and doubled over in pain. Tsunade looked down at her in contempt and shook her head.

"You're pathetic, girl. Downed in a single punch of mine... frankly, I'm surprised it didn't kill you outright." Tsunade walked around her so that she was facing the same direction Reiko was, leaned down, grabbed her arms, and pulled them behind her back so that the cloaked girl was pinned and could not fight back. Tsunade moved her hands up to Reiko's wrists and reached inside her cloak. As she had suspected, she had some sort of device around them that housed the blades- an assassin's tool. She found a button on each device and pressed it. The blades sank back into the device, and she lowered her hands to the middle of Reiko's upper arms before squeezing tight so the girl couldn't escape.

"Now, I have a few important questions for you," she continued in a quiet, but harsh, tone, "and it's very important that you answer these questions truthfully. Do you know how painful it would be if your arm was ripped from your body? That's just one of the many things I can do to you to make you talk."

Reiko said nothing. The only sound heard from her was her pained breaths.

"I'll start with the most important question: is there a way to cure this?"

Reiko remained silent. Tsunade growled in frustration at the girl's lack of cooperation and snapped her left arm where her grip was. Blood burst from the arm as the broken bones of the arm punched through her skin. Reiko screamed in pain as Tsunade let go of that arm. The arm fell to the ground, still attached, although one part of it was bent in an angle that was painful to look at. Tsunade averted her eyes from that arm, trying her hardest to filter it out of her peripheral vision.

"I'll ask one more time: is there a way to cure this?"

"Yes... yes there is..." Reiko said in a barely audible voice.

"How?" Tsunade asked in anticipation.

"Yin Release..."

Tsunade let go of her other arm, and Reiko quickly scampered to her feet. She turned around and flashed a smirk at Tsunade.

"At least, if 'this' referred to the damage you just caused me," she said sardonically as she formed a seal with one hand. Her mangled arm and her stomach area were then coated in ethereal blue energy, and Tsunade watched with wonder and horror as the cloaked woman's arm was healed before her very eyes!

"Damn you! You knew what I meant!" Tsunade roared.

"I'm afraid you should have been more specific, but I'll answer that question, too. This jutsu cannot be cured... your people are doomed, Hokage!"

"I'll kill you, you fucking _bitch!_" Tsunade bellowed as she sprinted towards Reiko with surprising speed.

"Lady Tsunade! Don't be so reckless!" Sakura called out, but her words fell on deaf ears, and her fears were soon confirmed. Tsunade threw a punch at Reiko, but all of a sudden a chain burst from the sleeve of her right arm and wrapped itself around Tsunade's hand.

_The devices around her wrists house more than just blades?_ Tsunade thought with shock as Reiko moved her right arm, causing the chain to be yanked along with her arm. Tsunade's arm was pulled downward, away from Reiko. The Hokage growled as she tried to raise another arm, but she found that it, too, had been bound!

Reiko smiled with cruelty as she began to channel fire chakra through the chains. Tsunade cried out in pain as the chains wrapped around her hands began searing her skin with the heat surging through them.

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura cried as she ran forward to help Tsunade. As she did, the chain nearest to Sakura unwrapped itself from Tsunade's hand and receded back into the cloak. It soon emerged once more, but this time with the wristblade attached to it! The chain shot towards Sakura at great speeds, and all Sakura saw before her gut was penetrated was the glowing blue aura of chakra surrounding the chain, which is what gave it movement. Sakura slumped to the ground shortly after, and the blade withdrew itself from her gut and receded back into the sleeve of the cloaked woman.

_Now!_ Shino thought as he gave the signals to his insects. He had been moving about the battlefield incognito, planting bunches of his Kikaichu insects around the area. He had planned for Reiko to stumble near one of the bunches of insects, causing the insects to fly towards her and strike, but this was an emergency!

Several small swarms of Kikaichu insects zoomed through the air towards Reiko. She was completely surrounded, as the insects closed in from all directions. Shino frowned when he noticed that she was not moving at all. He suspected that she was simply going to vanish and reappear, as she was prone to doing. At least if she did that, the insects could go back to their ambush positions and Sakura and Tsunade would get a chance to heal.

The insects began swarming around Reiko, and Shino's eyes widened in shock as she suddenly exploded.

_Another exploding clone!_ Shino thought with trepidation. He had not expected that to happen again! He could sense that over three-fourths of his insects had died in the blast, and Tsunade was now severely burned due to being in such a close proximity to the explosion. Shino quickly body flickered over to Sakura. She was on the ground, and a hand was pressing itself over the wound.

"Are you okay?" he asked with anxiety.

"I'm mostly fine..." Sakura groaned as she sat herself up with pained efforts, "...but there was poison on that blade that's messing with my chakra... I can't heal myself."

"I'll take care of things, don't you worry. This might feel strange, or even sick, but my insects are going to suck out the poison. Raise your shirt," Shino said as he commanded a small number of insects to fly by. Sakura looked sick at the thought of insects crawling around her body and her insides, but she knew it was the only way she would be able to heal Tsunade. She closed her eyes tightly and raised her shirt, exposing the wound.

"My insects have detected Reiko nearby. Once they've healed you, you need to help Lady Hokage!" Shino urged her as he stood up.

"You didn't have to tell me that..." Sakura said with a smile, which quickly faded once she felt the legs of many insects land on her body. She somehow managed to shut her already tightly-closed eyes even tighter as the insects began to crawl inside of the wound, and they began to spread throughout the inside of her body. Sakura had to prevent herself from squirming about in disgust as she felt the insects swimming through her body. She winced as she felt several small stings all over the inside of her body. The insects must have detected the poison, and they were now sucking it out of her.

Shino ran towards the direction of Reiko, calling forth the remaining amount of insects. He was at a great disadvantage going up against such a powerful opponent with so few insects at his disposal, but he would be a sitting duck if he stopped to generate more insects. And right now, he needed to buy time until Tsunade was back up on her feet. He knew that Tsunade was the only one who could defeat this woman, so it was crucial that he prevented Reiko from attacking Sakura or Tsunade.

He looked around for the woman, and did not see her... until she appeared out of the air right in front of him. He saw the process clearly this time: this wasn't a fast body flicker, nor was it some sort of reverse summoning jutsu. It looked as if she had literally stepped out of thin air! But it couldn't have been an ordinary space-time ninjutsu, as he saw no seals involved! Did that mean...?

The insects had all finally left Sakura's body, and they flew away towards the directed Shino headed towards. Sakura took a deep breath and opened her eyes, glad that the nasty feeling of the insects inside of her was gone. She had newfound respect for the Aburame clan, since they had to live with that feeling every moment of their lives. She felt a bit woozy, but also rejuvenated. She hovered a hand over the wound in her gut, and she smiled when she was able to heal it. Once the wound was closed, she stood up and hurried over to Tsunade.

She bit her lip as she gazed upon Tsunade. The skin that had been exposed and that had been facing in the direction of the explosion was burned pretty badly. The affected areas were a raw red color with occasional patches of dark red areas. Her clothing had been darkened and tattered in areas, but it seemed to have miraculously shielded the rest of her body from the blast. Sakura began working to heal the second and third degree burns that covered Tsunade...

"I've figured out how you use that teleportation technique of yours," Shino announced. He hadn't originally planned to stall Reiko with talk, but it was the only way for his insects to assume the most strategic locations.

"Really?" Reiko asked. Shino mentally cursed at the fact that she was wearing a hood that shadowed her face... there was no way for him to read her expression. He had no idea if she knew that he was just trying to buy time.

"I've thought about how you can use such a jutsu without any hand seals, and I've come to one conclusion... you must have a Mangekyo Sharingan. You keep your hood up to conceal that fact."

"And you would be correct," Reiko said as she lowered her hood, revealing that her Sharingan was now in a different shape. A visible ring now surrounded her central pupil, and the three tomoes had changed shape into circles slightly larger than the central pupil. In between each of the three circles, a triangular spike emerged from the connecting ring, making three triangles total in the midpoints between each circle.

"I have heard things about the Mangekyo Sharingan of both Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi of this village, and they both seem to possess different abilities. Your teleportation jutsu seems different, as well."

"Yes... that is because each person with a Mangekyo Sharingan has the sun in one eye and the moon in the other."

_The sun and the moon? What is she talking about?_ Shino thought.

Reiko continued, "But when the sun and the moon unite, the result is a jutsu unique to that person. My jutsu is Ame-no-Nuhoko. Named for the jeweled spear that created the world in the legends of this land, it allows me to travel to another location within sight instantaneously. It is too bad you won't get to share this information with your group. Your life ends here!"

With those words, Reiko took a step backwards and vanished into the air. Shino had expected this, and he knew that she was going to strike from behind. He turned around, and, sure enough, saw her rushing towards him with the wristblades extended and poised to strike. Shino quickly formed a barrier with his remaining insects. They stopped her momentum and began to crawl up her arm. She vanished once more and appeared on the roof of a nearby house.

"That jutsu of yours is certainly annoying... I'm at a great disadvantage here," Shino said lowly as he glared at Reiko. He then noticed that her Sharingan had reverted back into its normal shape. Why would she do that?

Reiko smirked at this "compliment," and said, "Yes, I've noticed Ame-no-Nuhoko makes your fighting style rather useless. You should just give up and accept your death."

Shino smiled at that comment, but Reiko would not see the smile since most of his face was covered by clothing. And that was good, because she would see nothing amiss. Shino had figured out the weakness of her jutsu, and all because of her arrogance leading her to explain how the technique worked. He found that it was a lot easier to take down people that felt the need to explain just how something in their arsenal worked... why did people do that?

"Give up and accept death? Unfortunately for you, I'm a bit more tenacious than that," Shino said as he extended his arms towards Reiko. Two separate swarms of insects flew out of the sleeves of his coat and raced towards the cloaked woman. He had a few surprises in store for Reiko, and he was confident that he could hold out until Tsunade was in fighting condition again.

As he predicted, Reiko faded into air using her Mangekyo. As soon as she vanished, Shino turned around to see her dashing towards him with her wristblades extending out of the sleeves of her cloak. Shino simply stood in place as she drew nearer. As soon as the tip of the blade struck his body, Shino transformed into several hundred insects that began to fly around Reiko. The insects began to bite and feed on her chakra, but she faded away once more. The bugs coalesced into a human shape, and they transformed back into Shino. He had seen the direction she was facing when he vanished, so he looked towards that direction and saw Reiko forming seals in the distance.

_That's good... my insect clone took your mind off of the insects I sent out a few moments ago,_ Shino thought as he saw Reiko panic as those insects began to close in upon her. She vanished once more, which caused Shino to frown.

_Just how many times can she use that jutsu?_ he thought as he called back the insects he sent out. He looked in the direction Reiko was previously facing and saw her standing a few yards away.

"Why don't you just give up? Your Ame-no-Nuhoko is only delaying the inevitable. You've told me how it works in your arrogance, and any attempts of surprising me by attacking out of the blue won't work anymore," Shino said.

Reiko smirked, "Sounds like you're the arrogant one now. I still have several tricks you haven't seen, such as the trap I've laid while your bugs have been chasing me."

Shino's eyes widened as he began to frantically look about for the trap she mentioned. He saw four thin stakes embedded in the ground in the four directions that Reiko had been in momentarily. He looked at Reiko and saw that she was holding another stake. She dropped it, and it dug itself into the ground. The five stakes made a perfect pentagon shape, and Shino was in the middle. She made a single seal.

"Fire Release: Ascension of Asmodeus!" she called out. Shino panicked as the stakes began to glow a bright red. Lines of fire burst from the ground that was between the stakes, forming the border of the pentagon. The ground began Shino's feet began to rumble and become hot.

Reiko watched with delight as a large pillar of flame shot out of the ground. Surely the boy would be completely immolated by the jutsu. If he somehow survived, then there was no way that he would be in fighting condition. She had won the battle!

"That certainly was close," she heard a voice behind her say. She turned around in shock to be greeted with a swarm of the Kikaichu insects. She vanished once more and reappeared a few yards behind Shino.

"How?" she asked in shock.

"How did I escape? A simple substitution jutsu," Shino said, "I have individual insects all around the area, acting as extra eyes if I don't know where you teleported. I can also swap places with one of them at any time. I thought I told you that I'm too tenacious to just give up and accept death."

Reiko growled and slashed at Shino with her poisoned blades. Insects crawled out of Shino's arms and crawled up Reiko's blades until they reached her arms. Before she could vanish, Shino summoned forth the rest of his insects that had been in hiding the whole battle. The cloud of insects swarmed about Reiko, crawling over her body, biting, and sucking her chakra.

"You've realized it by now, haven't you?" Shino yelled so he could be heard over the din of the insect's wings, "I've blocked your vision with my insects. You can't escape with your Ame-no-Nuhoko!"

"That may be, but I can do this to escape!" Reiko retaliated as a large blast of wind burst through the cloud of insects and headed straight towards Shino. He couldn't move out of the way fast enough and he grunted in pain as the blast of wind knocked him back into a wall.

Shino looked up to see Reiko looming over him, one of her blades inches from his face.

"Any last words?" she asked.

"I don't think these words will be my last," Shino said with a hidden smile. Reiko looked confused by his comment, but she figured out what he meant when she felt many blows upon her back. She doubled over in pain, and Shino scurried away.

"Thanks, Hinata. You saved me," Shino said to Hinata, who had snuck up on Reiko and used her Byakugan to attack her chakra points.

"I was getting worried about you... I had to check up on you to make sure you were safe," Hinata said.

"Normally I would chastise you, but I'll make an exception here." He was not worried about Reiko attacking, as he had made his insects swarm about her once again. Another gust of wind knocked the insects away after a bit, but it was much smaller and weaker than the previous one. Reiko darted out of the cloud of insects and turned towards the two.

"Congratulations... your little war of attrition worked. You've greatly lowered my chakra. But I'll win in the end..." Reiko said as she faded into the air.

"Is she gone?" Hinata asked with worry.

"My insects aren't sensing anything... she seems to be gone from the area," Shino said, "Go get Hanabi. I'm going to see if Sakura has finished healing Tsunade yet."

Hinata nodded and ran off to fetch her sister. Shino called back his insects, which gladly crawled into his body to get some well-deserved rest. He walked back to where Sakura was, and saw her over Tsunade's body. Her hands were glowing with the light green aura of healing chakra.

"So you still haven't healed her all the way?" Shino asked as he walked over to her.

"No... her burns were pretty severe, but I think I'm finally healing them," Sakura said. She then realized that Shino was talking to her. She looked up at him with a look of confusion and mild surprise, "Wait, you're done fighting. Did you... _kill_ her?"

"Did I kill her? Oh, no," Shino said with a light smile, "I managed to whittle down her chakra. Hinata also helped me out when I was facing the tip of a blade. She had to retreat due to being low on chakra. We're safe for now."

"That's certainly a relief," Sakura said as she turned back to look at Tsunade. She gazed over the Hokage's body momentarily, and made a small satisfied nod. The healing chakra faded from her hands, and she stood up.

"She'll come to in a few minutes," Sakura explained, "I would shake her to wake her faster, but her skin's still sensitive... Where are Hinata and Hanabi?"

"She's getting Hanabi and returning-" Shino said, but his sentence was cut off as immense pain began surging through his body. He grunted and hunched over as the pain continued to throb throughout his being.

"Shino! What's wrong?" Sakura exclaimed in worry as she hurried over to him.

Shino was wondering that himself. Several thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to deduce what was happening to him. He saw his vision blurring and darkening. There was a spike in the pain, and he pulled down the part of his jacket covering his face as he coughed up some blood.

"My insects... she must have poisoned them," Shino said weakly.

Sakura's eyes became wide with horror. She felt warm tears begin to form as she realized what was happening.

"I'll... I'll extract the poison!" she said, her voice in mild hysterics. She knew what was going to happen to Shino, but she didn't want to accept it. She didn't want another Kakashi to happen!

"Don't... not even Tsunade can heal this jutsu. I'm done for..." Shino said weakly. He drew a shaky breath, which made Sakura realize how pale he had become. His lips formed a small smile.

"I'll have to admit that what she did was clever. She couldn't turn my insects into zombies, but she made them carry the poison on their bodies. When they went back into my body, the poison spread..."

"Stop talking! Let me heal you!" Sakura exclaimed with slight mania.

"Please... stop..." Shino said, his breaths now weak and ragged, his words barely above a whisper, "I'm done for. Reiko... she has a Mangekyo Sharingan... that is how she can teleport. I'm sorry that... I couldn't help you... any further..."

"Don't... don't talk like that!" Sakura pleaded with Shino, "Just calm down, and I'll heal you right up!"

Shino fell to the ground face first. Sakura felt the tears begin to fall down her eyes as she kneeled down to his body. She turned him over, pulled down his hood, and searched for a pulse. He did not have one. She stood up and slowly backed away from Shino.

Shino's body briefly spasmed, and a low rasp fell from his lips as he slowly stood up. As he rose, his sunglasses fell from his face, revealing the soulless white eyes of the undead. He began to shamble towards Sakura.

"No... NO!" Sakura screamed as she continued to back away from Shino. She felt her back against a wall. There was nowhere to run. She began shaking uncontrollably as she cowered in fear of her former friend approaching her. His growls became louder as he drew nearer and nearer. She had to do something, but her body wasn't moving! The sheer horror and sorrow she felt had paralyzed her!

Shino snarled as he lunged towards Sakura, but he was pulled back by his hood. As he was yanked back, the tip of a kunai protruded from his skull as his brain was penetrated. The lifeless body of Shino fell to the ground, revealing that Hinata was the one who had killed him. She looked just as pained and scared as Sakura did. Hanabi turned away from Shino's body, but Hinata looked down at it in horror. Shino's dead eyes stared back at her eyes. Despite the blood around his mouth and the color of his eyes, he still had the same face... the face of someone she had worked with for three whole years. The face of a good friend. And despite her efforts, she couldn't help but see the normal Shino dead below her feet instead of another zombie.

"_What have I done?_" she shrieked, breaking down into tears as she fell to her knees and began bawling into her hands. Hanabi leaned down to her crying sister and comforted her in the best way she could.

Sakura, too, felt like crying. She never talked to Shino that much, but he was still a friend. He healed her, too... and she never got to thank him. But he managed to tell her an important piece of information before he died: their adversary had a Mangekyo Sharingan. This made her even more dangerous, but they would be prepared the next time she attacked... Reiko's days were numbered. She would pay for all of the death she caused with her life!

* * *

After he had but some distance between the members of the Hokage's team, Kenokami stopped running and turned to face his opponents. They seemed like a motley crew: a kid with white eyes, a chick, and a goofy-looking man with thick eyebrows that had a matching kid version of him but with buggier eyes. None of them looked real dangerous, but Reiko had assured him that this team was powerful, and that the weak-looking chick was capable of taking out many zombies.

"I can't say that any of you four look real threatening," Kenokami said in a disappointed tone with a slight shrug.

"Ha! Little do you know, you are facing the mightiest taijutsu team in all of Konoha!" Guy boasted with exuberance, confidence, and a sparkly grin. Even though he seemed to be acting his usual self, Kenokami could see pure concentration and seriousness in Guy's eyes.

"Seems I don't believe your claims. Looks like you'll have to prove your worth to me," Kenokami said with an arrogant grin that showed off his fangs.

Neji activated his Byakugan and assumed a defensive stance, and Tenten grabbed the large scroll she kept on her person. Guy and Lee assumed fighting stances, but they did not move.

"Well? Just going to stand there? I'm waiting," Kenokami said in a cold and serious tone as he held his massive sword in front of him in an offensive stance.

As soon as he finished speaking, Neji, Lee, and Guy burst forward. Kenokami swung his huge sword in a horizontal arc. Guy and Lee hit the ground to dodge the weapon, but Neji managed to leap over it and continue his charge towards the jinchuuriki. Neji smirked upon seeing that his enemy had not finished his swing due to the sheer momentum of his weapon. He moved to strike, but was caught off guard when Kenokami removed one of his hands from the sword's hilt. He grabbed Neji's closest wrist and hurled the Hyuga boy back towards the way he came. Neji collided with the ground a few yards away with a loud crack, and his body continued bouncing back like a stone being skipped across a pond. He finally stopped moving when he hit a building at the exit of the alleyway they were fighting in. Tenten dropped her scroll and ran to assist Neji.

"That was close," Kenokami said as he slammed his sword into the ground, blade-first. The sword dug itself a good foot into the ground, and Kenokami cracked his knuckles and his neck, "Looks like it's too risky using my sword, Garm, against taijutsu specialists. I'll fight you both without it."

Lee and Guy then sprung up from their prone positions and leaped at Kenokami, but with a leg extended. Kenokami took a step to the side to avoid the frontal attack and swung a vicious left hook that impacted Lee's side, sending the boy spiraling to the ground. Seemingly undeterred by the attack, Lee stood back up and delivered a flurry of punches and kicks. Kenokami bobbed and weaved out of the way of the strikes, but there were a few close calls.

_Is this kid just as fast as I am?_ Kenokami thought as he attempted to deliver a few strikes, but Lee managed to block them. _Well, he won't be as quick as me if I step things up a notch!_

Kenokami ducked under one of Lee's punches and grabbed a leg that was extended to kick his head. He used Lee's momentum against him to slam him against the ground. Before Lee could comprehend what had happened, Kenokami was above him, ready to slam his foot down on his chest.

A sharp blow was felt in his side as he was sent flying back several feet. Kenokami straightened his body so that he landed on his feet, and saw the older guy helping his student up. The older guy must have delivered the blow to his side to get him away from his student.

"Do it, Lee! Show him the power of YOUTH!" Guy shouted. Lee nodded, and reached into the orange cloth covering his lower legs. He removed what appeared to be training weights and dropped them to the ground, causing deep craters upon impact. Kenokami's eyes widened at this, and at the fact that Lee's foot was now inches from his face.

The blow connected, and the jinchuuriki was sent flying back once more. He felt another powerful blow in mid-air that knocked him to the ground. As he tried to get up, he saw Lee's foot heading towards him. He snapped up an arm and tightly grasped Lee's leg before hurling the boy against a nearby building. Kenokami stood himself up and saw Lee suddenly vanish.

He heard the sound of speed in the air announcing Lee's oncoming attacks. Kenokami managed to block the first few and then he increased his speed to the point where he was flying around the area in a blur. Guy watched with intent as the two combatants whirled about in the air, neither gaining any blows on the other. He waited for the opportune time to strike...

Kenokami's face held a wide grin. He had not been this invigorated in battle for quite some time! It had been years ago since he had been forced to fight using this level of speed! He saw an opening in Lee's defenses and moved to strike it, but was suddenly thrown to the ground by a powerful axe kick. Kenokami only assumed that it was the teacher of the boy he was fighting. It then dawned upon him that if the boy was equal to him in strength and speed, then the teacher surely surpassed him!

Kenokami slowly stood up and spat some blood out of his mouth. He wiped the excess blood away from his mouth.

"Eight Trigrams!" Neji began as he began his sneak attack.

"Piss off!" Kenokami growled as he whirled around and grabbed one of Neji's wrists once more. He sharply twisted it, and a sickening crack was heard. Neji howled in pain as he cradled his wrist. His hand sickeningly hung limply and it was positioned backwards. Kenokami moved to follow up with another blow, but he was pulled back by Guy. As he stumbled backward, Guy spun his body around and delivered a powerful roundhouse to Kenokami's chest, sending him soaring back.

As he spun in the air, he saw Lee below him in a crouching position. Lee launched up and kicked Kenokami in the throat, launching him upwards in the air. Lee jumped up and undid the bandages around his arms before wrapping them around Kenokami. Lee began to spin around and around until both he and Kenokami could only see a blur of whirling color.

"Front Lotus!" Lee shouted as he separated himself from Kenokami moments before the jinchuuriki collided with the ground.

"Excellent use of the Front Lotus, Lee!" Guy shouted. He was not concerned about Neji, for Tenten was currently easing his pain by applying medicine around his wrist. Tsunade would be able to heal him after the battle.

"Thank you, Guy-sen-" Lee began, but his words were silenced as a tight grip formed around his throat. He felt disorientation and a burst of pain as he was slammed against a wall. When his vision cleared, he saw Kenokami glaring at him.

"That fucking hurt," the jinchuuriki said as he turned Lee around and slammed him into the wall a few times. He then drew back his free hand.

Guy could see visible chakra forming around the fist as it began to spiral around Kenokami's hand. He realized that Kenokami was using wind chakra to empower his physical attacks. With the cutting power the enhanced blows would give him, he could easily cut through Lee's ribs and pierce his heart! He couldn't allow that! He had to act immediately!

Guy opened six of the eight gates in an instant and charged towards Kenokami and delivered a powerful blow that launched him up in the air. Kenokami didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late. The already immense pain from the initial blow would be nothing compared to what would happen next.

"MORNING PEACOCK!" Guy yelled as he began unleashing a flurry of punches at blinding speeds. The sheer speed of the punches caused them to be lit ablaze by friction. After delivering hundreds of burning punches in just a few seconds, Guy finished off the attack by delivering a powerful axe kick to Kenokami's temple that sent him rocketing to the ground below. Guy gracefully fell to the ground and landed on his feet, while Kenokami crashed into the earth and created a rather sizable crater upon impact. Guy closed the gates and ran towards Lee.

"Oh, Lee..." he said in a wounded tone. Lee had a broken nose and blood was flowing down the nostrils. Neji and Tenten walked up to them, and Neji's arm was in a makeshift sling.

"Do not cry for me, Guy-sensei! I am perfectly fine!" Lee exclaimed brightly as he stood himself up and wiped the blood off of his face. As soon as he did so, more blood flowed down to replace it. "Or perhaps not," he added.

"Don't worry; Lady Tsunade can heal you. We just need to-" Tenten began.

"DUCK!" Guy yelled, and his students instinctively did so as Kenokami's large sword swung over their heads. Guy saw that his sword now had a chain coming out of its handle. He thought that it was ridiculous to use such a large blade as a flail, but then he realized that with its massive size, it didn't matter how the sword impacted you. With the blade or the flat, it would hurt a lot either way and would possibly be a fatal blow. He also saw that Kenokami had several burns on his skin, but they were healing before his very eyes!

Tenten stood up, took her large scroll, and unfurled it. With a single swing, several varying weapons were summoned from the scroll, with steel wires attached to their handles. Kenokami was punctured by most of the weapons, and she didn't expect him to continue standing there!

"Get these things _out of me!_" he yelled in frustration as he moved a free arm to start pulling the weapons out of his body. He wouldn't get the chance to do so, for Tenten began to swing her scroll around, causing Kenokami to fly into nearby walls and smack into the ground. Needless to say, this caused him to drop his sword.

"YOU BITCH!" he roared as he managed to plant his feet on the ground. He rapidly ripped the weapons out of him and threw them to the ground. To Tenten's horror, she saw the wounds slowly begin to close! He ripped a katana out of his chest and hurled the blade at Tenten. The sword penetrated her gut and slid a few inches into her body. She slumped to the ground as she stared at the wound in horror.

"I'm through messing around... you've shown me that I don't need to hold back against you Konoha ninja..." Kenokami said in a threatening tone

"Kenokami, we have to retreat!" Reiko shouted from a nearby rooftop. Kenokami looked up at her with exasperation.

"WHAT!" he indignantly screamed, "But-"

"NOW!" Reiko bellowed in a commanding tone.

Kenokami swore under his breath and shot a death glare at Team Guy. He flipped them off with his left hand, showing off the Akatsuki ring that rested on that middle finger. He quickly darted over to his sword, picked it up, unsummoned it, and body flickered away along with Reiko.

"What cowards... but their drawing back is fortunate for us! We have to go to Lady Tsunade!" Guy urged his team. Neji got a head start while Guy and Lee both supported Tenten, who was in shock from the wound she received. Once they had supported their teammate, they followed Neji.

* * *

When Team Guy arrived back to where Tsunade and the others were located, they saw a blanket covering something on the ground. Hanabi and Hinata were crying, and Sakura and Tsunade had pained expressions. It was not long before they realized what had happened.

Shino was under that blanket, and he was no longer alive.

"Lady Tsunade... my team needs medical attention," Guy said in a somber tone. Tsunade closed her eyes and nodded as she walked over to his team. She removed the blade from Tenten's belly and closed the wound with healing chakra. She healed Lee's face and walked over to Neji.

"This will hurt for a bit," she said in a monotonous tone as she removed the sling around Neji's arm. She touched his wrist and snapped it back in the correct direction, causing him to scream in pain. The howls of pain would not last long, as Tsunade's healing chakra quickly fixed his wrist and soothed the pain. Throughout all of her healing, her face was blank, as if her mind was somewhere else.

Neji walked over to his cousins and comforted them, while Lee stared sadly at the blanket covering Shino's body. When Tenten fully came to, she quietly shed a few tears over the fallen comrade. Guy and Tsunade stood apart from the rest of the group.

"What happened?" Guy asked in a low tone.

"That Uchiha bitch managed to incapacitate me. All I have are the words of Sakura and Hinata to go by. Sakura said that Shino went off to fight Reiko while she healed me. Shino apparently managed to fend her off, with some assistance from Hinata. But Reiko managed to poison his insects, thus causing Shino to turn," Tsunade said quietly, "Reiko has a Mangekyo Sharingan. That's how she can teleport. That was one of the last things Shino said to Sakura."

"Our opponent was powerful, too, but the healing powers you mentioned seemed to be slowing as our fight dragged on. It seems they don't last forver," Guy said.

Tsunade simply nodded as she stared at the others in the group.

"He needs to be buried. We can't just leave him here," Guy said. Tsunade nodded at this and walked up to Shino's body. She picked it up, blanket and all, and walked over to a nearby tree. She placed the body beneath the shade of the plant, and took some steps away. Everyone else gathered around the tree, knowing that Shino was about to be buried.

All was silent, except for the light breeze and the singing of the cicadas on the tree. It was the first time that day that they had made any noise, and it would be the last time, too. If anybody had any words that they wanted to say to Shino, then they did it mentally, as nothing was spoken. Tsunade made a single seal, and the ground under Shino's body sank downward a few feet. She made a second seal, and the newly-created hole was then filled by moving the earth to cover it.

The group continued to stare at the spot where Shino's body once occupied. Hinata broke away from her sister and her cousin and walked away. She soon returned with Shino's sunglasses in her hands. She walked over to his grave and laid the sunglasses on the spot of ground.

"Every grave... needs a marker..." she said in a quiet sob, her voice little more than a whisper.

They stood there in silence for a few more minutes, until Tsunade finally said something.

"Shino would not want us to keep mourning. For his sake, and for the rest of the village's, we have to keep searching," she said. She turned around and walked away, and the rest of her team followed her.

* * *

Naruto continued to run, his mind only focused on reaching the academy and rescuing Iruka. He had encountered several zombies, but he completely ignored them and just ran right past them in his perilous flight.

He only made one stop, and that was when the Ichiraku Ramen Bar was in front of him. It made him stop because seeing the store made him remember that Iruka was going to buy him some ramen today in celebration of defeating the two Akatsuki members Kakuzu and Hidan.

But he knew that event would never happen now, nor would any future ramen outings ever happen again. Teuchi and Ayame, the two that ran the restaurant, were both standing in front of it, but they were no longer human. The both turned to look at Naruto, and they both groaned as they began to shamble towards him. Naruto felt large and hot tears roll down his cheeks as his mind kept flashing between their smiling faces and their current state.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Naruto yelled as he closed his eyes and ran away. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he continued making his way towards the academy. After several minutes of running, he reached the entrance to the Ninja Academy.

He was sickened at the gruesome sight displayed before him. The bodies of several young children were strewn across the academy grounds. All of the bodies had once been zombies, and most of them seemed to have killing blows caused by a sword. A few of the bodies were little more than a mess of blood and organs, as there were a few zombie children dining on the bodies. They all looked up from their macabre meal and eerily stared at Naruto with their soulless white eyes. They all stood up as they moaned and began to shuffle towards Naruto.

He felt overwhelmed at what he was witnessing, and once more felt tears fall from his eyes.

_What heartless bastard would make this effect children?_ Naruto thought, _They're innocent! They don't deserve this!_

Naruto looked down at the ground and formed a tight fist with his right hand, his nails digging into his palm. He couldn't be deceived by their appearances... even if they looked like children, they weren't anymore. They were just soulless husks made to feed and spread a disease.

He reached into a pouch of his jacket and produced an explosive tag. He tossed it at the oncoming zombies, and it exploded, scattering them and leaving a safe path for him to cross. He ran through the path and threw open the doors of the academy.

The first thing that he saw was two children eating the corpse of another child. The child being eaten seemed to have been running to the entrance in an attempt to escape. The two zombies looked up at Naruto, strips of flesh hanging from their bloody maws. Naruto ignored them and tried not to vomit as he continued to run towards Iruka's classroom. He had no idea if he would be in his classroom, but school had been in session today... where else would he be?

He turned a corner and saw the door leading to Iruka's classroom- the furthest door on the left side of the hallway. A little boy with scruffy black hair with clothes caked in dirt and dried blood snarled as he lunged towards Naruto. Naruto delivered a forceful kick to the boy, knocking him against the wall, as he continued to run. The only thing between him and Iruka's classroom was a girl with brown hair in a ponytail. Her pink clothing was stained with blood. Naruto could have sworn that he saw her playing in the park the other day... but now she was just a mindless shell filled with hunger. She slowly turned around, revealing that her right cheek had been torn off, exposing her jaw muscles and teeth. Naruto ran past her, but she managed to grab Naruto's leg. He fell to the ground, and felt as if his heart was going to fall into his stomach when he felt a sharp pain on his leg.

He turned around, eyes wide with fear, as he saw the little girl biting into his leg.

_No... this can't be... this can't be!_ he thought in despair as he began to cry in sorrow and anger. He slammed his fist into the girl's face, which sent her flying back. He would have followed up by taking out his rage on the zombified girl, but he noticed that she just seemed to have cloth in her mouth. Naruto quickly looked down where she had bitten him and felt an immense relief. She _had_ bitten him, but she didn't break his skin and draw blood. He had no time to waste to admire this miracle. Iruka's classroom was nearby!

He ran to the sliding door, threw it open, and walked inside. He stopped in his tracks in sheer disbelief at what he was seeing. The door behind him slid shut, but he was stunned and sickened. It was perhaps the sheer overwhelming force of his emotions that prevented him from vomiting. This image would be burned into his mind for several days to come.

The room was filled with a powerful and foul smell of death. It was obvious where it was coming from- the pile of bodies in one corner. Bodies of several academy teachers that Naruto had recognized before. Some were wounded, others were unclothed... it looked like some sort of crazy experiment had happened. But that wasn't the worst sight. The worst sight caused Naruto to drop to his knees and bawl in despair.

Iruka was at the head of the classroom, behind the podium as he had often been back when Naruto was an academy student. But he was slumped forward on the podium, his lifeless face staring at Naruto. Blood was pouring out of his back, which had several deep gashes, as well as down his mouth and nostrils. The assailant was still in the room; the kill had been fresh.

Otoshi stood in the center of the classroom, holding a bloodied katana in one hand. The blood on the blade was no doubt Iruka's, but it was soon wiped off of the blade with a piece of cloth, which was then discarded. Otoshi knew that someone had entered the room, but he had no idea who it was until Naruto opened his mouth.

"WHY! WHY THE FUCK DID YOU ATTACK HIM?" Naruto shrieked in rage and sorrow. Tears were pouring out of his eyes, and his face was contorted into an indescribable look of agony, "WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU? WHAT DID ANY OF THEM DO TO YOU?"

"Hm? You... you're the yappy mutt, aren't you? The one that can't hold his tongue? Naruto, wasn't it?" Otoshi asked in a nonchalant tone.

"ANSWER ME! WHY DID YOU KILL HIM? WHAT DO YOU HAVE AGAINST ME?"

"Oh, you know him? How was I supposed to know? Looks like fate wants us to clash," he said with an arrogant grin, "I bet he was someone important to you, judging by your reaction."

"SHUT UP!" Naruto howled as he charged forward. Otoshi easily dodged Naruto's charge and made a single seal that caused Naruto's shadow to rise up and restrain him. He thrashed about in his restraints, but it was pointless. He knew he wouldn't be able to escape, but he still continued to fight his bonds anyway.

"Well, I'm answering you. Isn't that what you wanted?" Otoshi asked, "You see, that man and all of his teacher friends were holed up in here. Such a thing can be quite tense, wouldn't you agree? I decided to ease tensions by playing a game with them."

"A game?" Naruto asked in a quiet roar, his voice hoarse from yelling, but his tone no longer frantic and berserk. Fighting against his restraints had cleared his head somewhat.

"That's what I said. A game. A rather fun one, too. You see, I haven't used these eyes of mine very often, so I wanted to see just what they were capable of."

Naruto wasn't facing Otoshi, but he could picture a vicious sneer on the blind man's face as he continued, "They hold such power! With these eyes, I hold sovereignty over all! No command is ignored or questioned; all are carried out with the utmost obedience!"

"Those bodies over there? They were the participants of the game," Otoshi continued, his voice calmer now, "And what great participants they were! Sexual orgies, cannibalism while the victim was still alive, depraved torture, and self-mutilation. They all carried it out without hesitation."

"What about Iruka?" Naruto asked, his voice full of malice.

"You mean the man I just killed? Someone had to watch, besides me. I didn't have any use for him once the game was over, though. So I killed him," Otoshi said with a smile.

"You... you... I'll..." Naruto growled, an aura of red chakra forming itself around him. He broke out of Otoshi's shadow restraints and turned towards him, "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" he shrieked as three tails of red chakra flailed about. He formed a Rasengan with one hand, and the Kyuubi's chakra enhanced it. He sprinted towards Otoshi with great speeds and began thrusting the ball towards him. The blind man managed to dodge every attack with the slightest of movements.

"Come on! I'm _blind_ and you can't even hit me!" Otoshi said in a mocking tone towards Naruto. This caused Naruto to open his mouth and begin to roar.

"NARUTO!" he heard Shizune scream as she entered the room.

"Shit!" Yamato swore. He held out a single palm and quickly sealed away the Kyuubi's chakra before he unleashed the roar that could easily destroy the entire building. Naruto fell to the ground, his Rasengan fading away.

"Well, I'm not dealing with all of you. Bye!" Otoshi said as he ran to a nearby window and leaped out of it. Naruto stood up and ran towards Iruka's body, his rage towards Otoshi now replaced by sorrow towards Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei! IRUKA-SENSEI!" he cried as he shook the body of the man that was like a father to him, even though Iruka would not respond.

"We need to leave..." Shizune said quietly.

"_NO! I'M STAYING WITH IRUKA-SENSEI AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO MAKE ME LEAVE!_" Naruto bawled.

"We need to meet up with Tsunade, though!" Shizune yelled back at Naruto, "We can't just sit here and mourn! We have a mission!"

"_FUCK TSUNADE! IRUKA-SENSEI WAS LIKE MY FATHER! HE'S DEAD NOW! I'M NEVER LEAVING HIM!_" Naruto shrieked.

Shikamaru laid a hand on Shizune's shoulder.

"I'll deal with him," he said calmly as he walked past Shizune and over to Naruto.

"Naruto... we have to go," he said calmly. Naruto continued to cradle Iruka's body in his arms as he cried over it.

"We have to go, Naruto," Shikamaru stated again in a bolder tone.

"_GO AWAY!_" Naruto screamed, "_YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW I'M FEELING RIGHT NOW! YOU HAVE NO-_"

Naruto's words were silenced as Shikamaru punched Naruto as hard as he could across the face. Naruto was knocked to the floor, and he spat up a small amount of blood.

"WHY THE HELL DID-" Naruto began, but Shikamaru would silence him with his screams.

"_I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE FEELING? BULLSHIT! DO YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS HAD LOSSES? OTHER PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR __**ENTIRE**__ FAMILIES! I'VE LOST MY MOTHER __**AND**__ MY FATHER! EVEN BEFORE THIS CATASTROPHE, MY TEACHER DIED! WE HAD TO FUCKING __**KILL**__ CHILDREN AND PEOPLE THAT WE RECOGNIZED ALL DAY! THINK OF HOW THEY FELT BEFORE THEY BECAME ZOMBIES! BEFORE THEY TURNED, THEY LIKELY HAD TO SUFFER FROM THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ATTEMPTING TO EAT THEM! THINK OF SOMEONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF, YOU SELFISH FUCK! SITTING HERE MOPING WILL ACCOMPLISH __**NOTHING!**__ YOU'RE COMING WITH US, NARUTO, SO WE CAN COMPLETE THE MISSION THE HOKAGE GAVE ALL OF US!_"

The group was silenced by Shikamaru's sudden outburst, especially Naruto.

"I... I..." Naruto managed to mutter, but he couldn't think of what to say.

"Save your breath. I don't care," Shikamaru said coldly as he walked out of the room. Naruto stood up, and the group left the academy, with nobody speaking a word.


	12. Another Falls

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 12:

The two ex-Akatsuki were currently on the top floor of the lookout tower that they were using as an outpost. Reiko was sitting on the sofa, gazing solemnly at the floor, while Kenokami was staring out the large window of the tower. He tightly clenched his teeth together as he raised a fist and pounded the nearby wall in frustration, causing a deep dent in the wall.

"What is with you?" Reiko snapped at her companion as she looked up at him, "You've been like this ever since we fell back!"

Kenokami turned around and glared at her with his lupine eyes, "We didn't _need_ to fall back! I had those four cornered!"

"You wouldn't have won. The Konoha shinobi are far more powerful than they seem."

"Really? I was just about to unleash the power of the wolf on them, and _you_ stopped me!"

"Why are you so upset by this?" Reiko cried out with a pained expression.

"Because every time I'm about to take things seriously, you show up and make me retreat!" Kenokami growled with an accusatory point towards his partner.

"Oh, so you think I enjoy running? Need I remind you why we're here in the first place?"

"I think you do... I don't think your heart's fully in this," Kenokami said with a snarl.

"I was wounded by the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan and the Kikaichu insects of Aburame clan! Surely you know of their chakra-draining effects! If I continued fighting, I would have quickly run out of chakra!" Reiko shouted.

"I don't believe you... you have all of those jutsu, and not _one_ can increase your chakra? The real reason you retreated... spit it out!" Kenokami demanded.

Reiko looked away from Kenokami and tightly grasped her cloak. "I..." she croaked.

"ANSWER ME!" Kenokami roared as he took a few intimidating steps towards the Uchiha girl.

A lone tear rolled down Reiko's cheek as she admitted, "I don't want to die... and I'm having second thoughts about doing this..."

"Are you serious!" Kenokami asked in disbelief, "This isn't something you can just take back! We've practically declared war on this entire village! What happened to spreading pain and suffering across the world?"

"Madara and the Hokage... both gave me a brush with death. I can't help but feel my entire life has been fabricated by Madara to solely lead me down this path. I want to live my own life, Kenokami... I want to be myself. I don't know if this is me! You don't know what it's like to be shackled to someone else!" Reiko cried out in pain. She yelped as she was lifted up by the collar of her cloak. Her eyes met the burning gaze of the blue-haired jinchuuriki who held her up.

"Don't you _dare_ assume you know about my life!" Kenokami bellowed as he threw her back on the couch, "Do you think I wanted to be a jinchuuriki? I was forced into this position and made the dog of my village! You know nothing about my father, about my siblings, and about the leader of my old village! Scum, the lot of them!"

"But..." Reiko said quietly, unsure of what to say.

"Whatever their pain might be, it pales in comparison to what we've felt, Reiko," Kenokami said calmly, his anger subsiding, "By causing this disaster, we've given them a taste of our pain. But do you see how they act? I think they're still jaded over the realities of what has happened. They haven't felt near enough pain yet. We have to keep going!"

"Are you sure?" Reiko asked.

"Of course! It's the two of us against the world... and we can take it, Reiko. Akatsuki, Madara, the five great ninja villages... and my father. All of them are powerful obstacles, but I believe we can break through them. And then we can have a world for just the two of us... a world where we can finally be free."

"Why... why are you so faithful to me?" Reiko asked.

"I told you that I love you, didn't I?" Kenokami said, showing a smile for the first time since they retreated from the Konoha ninja. "But... there's another reason I am drawn towards you. We both have similar pasts, Reiko. Both of us have been manipulated to the point of lashing out against this horrible world. Both of us want to change it. Both of us _will_ change it."

"Then... what happened to you?" Reiko asked. Kenokami walked over to the sofa and sat down next to her.

"Well, I don't like talking about it, and I haven't ever told it to anyone... but it's only fair, since you told me your past. Have you ever heard of the Moon Village?" Kenokami began.

"I believe so... it's one of the shinobi villages in the Land of Shadows, right? The second village in that country? The Hot Springs is the first, but I haven't heard much about the Moon," Reiko said.

"Actually, Getsugakure was there first before the Hot Springs showed up. That's why that country is named the way it is... because the original denizens were part of the Moon. Although a new village with plenty of hot springs certainly overshadows the original village that is located on a mountain in the middle of a jungle..."

"Why is it called the Land of Shadows?" Reiko asked.

"The trees in the jungle are very unique. At night, their leaves recede back inside of the trunk, exposing the night sky. But once the sun comes up, the leaves move out of the trunk and block out the sun. Around that area, the people live in perpetual darkness... unless you're in Getsugakure, that is. It's the only place above the trees," Kenokami explained, "but enough of that. I'm talking about my story, not the story of my country."

"Yes... do go on."

Kenokami nodded and continued, "Getsugakure has always had two clans that have been in power: the Getsuken and the Paroto. The Paroto have governed both the village and the country, while the Getsuken acted as the warriors that protected and fought for the village and country. Throughout the village's history, there has always been an elite group of Getsuken clan members simply known as the Getsuken Four. My father, Hiro, had been a member of the group for most of his life, and he quickly became the leader of the group, which meant he controlled the entire military of the country."

Kenokami frowned as he continued his story, "The most recent, and as far as I know, last generation of the Getsuken Four included me, my father, and my older brother and sister: Ginzu and Luna. My father was a very powerful man... he always had been. He had been gifted with the Thunder Release kekkei genkai that has lied dormant in our clan's bloodline. My sister had powerful ninjutsu and genjutsu, and my brother was a master in taijutsu and incredibly strong and fast. We were all great swordsmen, but by comparison... I was the weakest of the group. I guess that's why they decided to make me a jinchuuriki."

"'They?'"

"My father and the village leader, Tarkeros... both are still in power. My father had gone mad with power... he was convinced that the Moon could start conquering the world. Tarkeros wasn't very strong, but he pulled the strings to support my father. My brother and sister both followed him. So it made perfect sense for them to try and recruit me on their side. The normally docile Five-Tailed Wolf was captured and sealed within me, and I was used as a weapon in various military conflicts."

"That must have been rough," Reiko said lowly with a frown.

"Yeah... it was. My family had already been distant to me before... but now I was nothing more than a tool, and I was treated that way. I had a fling with a chick... Tarkeros' daughter. I just wanted to feel good feelings again, but even that didn't work. She turned out to be a lunatic, so I left her. I soon got sick of everything... I wanted out of the village. I wanted to be my own person... to be free. But my father wouldn't allow it. I had to fight for my freedom... and the beast inside of me spoke to me for the first time. It offered to help my cause. My father and my siblings fought the Five-Tailed Wolf that night... they managed to defeat and suppress it, but I was able to escape after the battle."

"So... you got your freedom?" Reiko asked with a hopeful stare.

"Of course not. I was free from the Moon, but not free from the shadows from that village. I became a wanderer, but men were sent after me to try and take me back. Over time, I heard about Akatsuki and decided to join them."

"But... did you know of their goals?" Reiko asked.

"Of course I did. I was sick of everything at that point. I didn't care that I was being used as a tool that would eventually be disposed of; all I wanted then was to fight powerful opponents. The thrill of battle was the only thing that made me feel human... that made me feel alive. But then you came along, Reiko," Kenokami concluded with a warm smile as he looked towards his partner.

"M-Me?" Reiko said shyly as she blushed and turned her head away slightly from him.

"You gave me a purpose in life, Reiko. For once I could live for someone else other than myself. Your goals are admirable, and I will fight for them. Together, we will make a world for just the two of us... what do you say?"

"I... I feel safe around you, Kenokami. I feel at peace. I don't want that feeling to go away," Reiko said quietly as she leaned in closer to him.

"We were raised as pariahs, Reiko. The world fights to remove us... but I won't let that happen. Together, we can do it... we can be truly free."

And then, without warning, Kenokami kissed Reiko. She was initially surprised by the sudden romantic movement, but she soon relaxed and kissed him back. They began furiously making out, both of their tormented souls embracing the concept of passion for the first time. Kenokami soon found himself pinned down by Reiko. He looked up to see her smiling warmly at him.

"Show me... a taste of freedom," she said quietly as she began to remove her cloak. Kenokami began removing his clothes, and shortly after the two naked outcasts embraced and shared their passion.

* * *

Elsewhere, two Akatsuki members were currently soaring far above the earth on large bird constructs created from clay. Such creations were characteristic of Deidara, who was currently using the scope covering his left eye to scout out the area beneath them. While said area was heavily forested, Deidara could pick out movements beneath the leaves that shrouded the sight of the ground below.

"Um... aren't we supposed to be going to that leafy village?" Tobi asked.

"Yes, but we're taking a little detour, yeah," Deidara said with a smile.

"But the scary leader guy told us to go there!" Tobi whined.

"Indeed he did, but he didn't tell us _not_ to go on a detour, did he? No... just that we should get to Konoha first. And I don't see how anybody else could get there first since we have flight. Well, maybe that plant guy, but he's an oddball..."

"Oh... I see," Tobi said with a nod.

"Yes... are you done asking questions, hmm?"

"Nah, I got one other one."

"Yes?"

"I'm bored. You see anything yet, Dei-Dei?"

Deidara felt his eye voluntarily twitch at being called that despicable nickname. He slowly turned his head to face Tobi, glaring daggers at the masked man.

"Do. Not. Call. Me. That. HMM!" Deidara firmly stated.

"But you didn't answer my question, Dei-Dei," Tobi said bluntly, ignoring Deidara's command.

"No... I haven't seen anything, Tobi. I appreciate you asking me a different question, but that doesn't change the fact that _I haven't seen anything the past seventy-three times you've asked me!_" Deidara yelled at Tobi in a highly indignant manner.

"Who're they?" Tobi asked innocently as he pointed to an area beneath them. Deidara had an expression of complete disbelief as he stared at Tobi, mouth agape.

"You don't honestly think I'm going to fall for this trick, do you?" Deidara asked.

"Noooo, I mean it! I see people down there. Look, look!" Tobi pleaded. Deidara rolled his eyes and gave his partner the benefit of the doubt. He placed his fingers up to the scope and zoomed in on the area Tobi had pointed at. It was forested... that idiot probably saw a bird land in the trees or something... wait...

Deidara's eyes widened and his mouth dropped as he picked out four people beneath the breaks between the leaves and branches beneath him. Tobi... Tobi _saw them?_ And he didn't even have a scope!

"I hate to admit it... I really do... I don't even believe it... but those are people you found Tobi. And I'll be damned... they were even the people I were looking for, yeah," Deidara said, his mind still numb from trying to wrap itself around Tobi finding them.

"So... does that mean... am I...?" Tobi began, clapping his hands in premature excitement.

Deidara sighed and shook his head, "Yes... Tobi is a good boy."

"YAAAAAAY!" Tobi gleefully exclaimed as he swayed his body to and fro and waved his arms around in a horrible attempt at doing a victory dance.

"Please... stop that, hmm," Deidara grunted as he shoved Tobi's antics out of his mind. He was now thinking about the rapidly approaching battle. He had been training himself for this event for quite some time.

"Get ready, Tobi," he added, "We're about to fight."

"We are?" Tobi asked.

_Who am I kidding... it's not like Tobi will fight or even do anything useful. Looks like I'm on my own here,_ Deidara thought grimly as he directed the clay birds to fly down into the forest.

They landed several yards behind the four targets, which were now entering a clearing in the forest. Deidara and Tobi both dismounted the birds, and Deidara reverted them back into two balls of clay, which he returned into the pouches of clay that he carried with him. They then ran into the clearing, and the four targets turned to face them. Somehow, they knew the two Akatsuki members were coming.

The four targets were a strong and tall man with a stern countenance and spiky orange hair. Next to him was a bespectacled girl with red hair. A scrawny young man with long light blue hair stood in front of the other three, a very large sword clasped tightly in his hands. And in the middle of the three was the man that Deidara was seeking: the leader of this little group, the man who stole Deidara's kill of Orochimaru... Sasuke Uchiha.

"Hold it," Sasuke said to his teammates, "They're not going to attack yet." He then looked at Deidara and asked, "Who are you two and what do you want with us?"

Before Deidara could respond, Sasuke added, "I notice you're wearing Akatsuki's robes. Do you know where Itachi is? You might as well tell me now and leave, instead of wasting both of our times by fighting," Sasuke said coldly. He did not seem to be taking Deidara and Tobi seriously. Perhaps this was because Tobi was currently chasing butterflies behind Deidara's back.

"I am Deidara, and my partner here is-" Deidara began. When he was about to introduce Tobi, he turned to look at him, and was angered when Tobi was not next to him. A quick look around revealed Tobi skipping after a butterfly while giggling like a little boy.

"TOBI! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE, HMM!" Deidara yelled at his childish partner.

"Suuuuuuure thing, Dei-Dei!" Tobi exclaimed with a salute as he jogged over to Deidara's side. Jugo and Sasuke retained their featureless expressions, but you could sense the confusion slightly detectable in their eyes. Suigetsu and Karin's reactions to Tobi were far less discreet, for they were currently laughing rather loudly. Deidara was not amused, for he looked like he was about to rip Tobi's head off.

"As for while we're here... you killed Orochimaru, yeah," Deidara said as he pulled back his anger, "You see, my old partner had some bad blood with him. I wanted to earn my partner's respect by killing that snake. Even after my partner died, I still wanted to kill Orochimaru, just to prove that I am stronger than him. And then I learn that _you_ killed him, you little punk!"

"A touching story," Sasuke said stoically, sarcasm barely being able to be picked up in his voice. The Uchiha boy slowly unsheathed his chokuto as he said, "So I guess I'm going to have to rip the information of Itachi's location out of you..."

Deidara grinned as he felt the all too familiar sensation of an approaching fight, "Too bad you're not going to get it, hmm. While my partner isn't very serious, I will take on the four of you, yeah! There will be nothing left of you other than ashes once I'm through!"

"Karin, Suigetsu, Jugo... take down his partner there. I'll take care of him," Sasuke said as arcs of electricity began to crackle around his blade.

"Are you sure?" Karin asked worriedly.

"C'mon, let's just go," Suigetsu said with a sigh, "You know he's not going to change his mind."

The three members of Hebi began approaching Tobi with aggressive stances and cold looks. Tobi stared at the approaching people.

"EEEEEEEEEEEE!" he squealed as he ran away.

"He's fast!" Suigetsu exclaimed as he and his two companions chased after him.

"Now that they're out of the way," Sasuke said as he activated his Sharingan, "We can go all out without the possibility of injuring our companions."

Deidara flashed a large grin at his enemy, "I like the way you think, kid. Show me what you've got, yeah!"

As soon as those words escaped Deidara's lips, Sasuke burst forward with an immense amount of speed and thrust his blade towards the bomber, who vanished before the sword impacted his body. Sasuke quickly looked around, his Sharingan eyes scanning the area for any traces of Deidara. He then saw the Akatsuki member up in the sky on some bird-like creature.

"I'll test you to see if you're as strong as the rumors say you are..." Deidara said as he reached into his clay pouch, "First, I will use my C1 chakra bombs on you. These should give you no problem."

_So he just thinks this is a game? His overconfidence made him just announce that these are bombs..._ Sasuke thought as Deidara threw five globules of clay down towards Sasuke. As they fell towards him, they changed shape into spiders. Sasuke leaped back to avoid the spiders that exploded on contact with the ground, making small craters. Sasuke looked towards where Deidara was in the sky, only to see that he wasn't there.

_Just where is he...?_ Sasuke thought as he looked around some more. He then saw Deidara quite some distance away in the air. His bird could travel quickly, it seemed.

"That was easy! Can you dodge my C2 bombs?" Deidara taunted. Sasuke formed a few seals and fired several Chidori needles towards Deidara, who simply swerved out of the way to dodge them.

"How about you stop hiding in the air?" Sasuke asked.

"I think I'll stay up here, hmm," Deidara said as he finished sculpting a large dragon. The dragon dived at Sasuke, who assumed an appropriate defensive stance. To the Uchiha boy's surprise, instead of continuing its descent, the dragon pointed its tail at Sasuke and fired several spheres that rained down on the battlefield, but they didn't explode. The dragon then continued its descent, and Sasuke simply cleaved the construct in two, both halves of the dragon harmlessly exploding behind him.

"Too bad I just made things far more difficult for you, kid. Those spheres that the dragon shot out are mines!" Deidara boasted.

"I could tell that with these eyes," Sasuke said stoically. He hid his anxiety towards the landmines from Deidara, who would probably be strengthened if he knew his opponent was faltering. Sasuke could see the explosive chakra inside the spheres earlier, but that was when they were visible in the air. The spheres had dug themselves in the ground, meaning he had no clue where they were located.

"That's right... watch your step. I think I'll help you decide with some more C1 bombs!" Deidara exclaimed in a mocking tone.

_Damn him... he's toying with me! But I can catch him off guard with this..._ Sasuke thought as he tapped into the power of Orochimaru's curse seal.

Deidara frowned when he saw Sasuke vanish from sight. He couldn't keep up with his speed even with the scope that enhanced his vision. But if he had to guess, the obvious choice would be to strike at his back. Deidara turned around just in time to see Sasuke's sword enter his chest. He tightly clenched his teeth together as he looked up at Sasuke, who now had gray skin, long white hair, and odd wings that resembled the hands of a demon.

"Orochimaru's power..." Deidara growled as he threw an orb of clay at Sasuke. The orb exploded and knocked Sasuke back down to the ground. Deidara pulled the sword out of his chest and tossed it aside. While the pain was aggravating, the wound wasn't too deep... his ribs had stopped the sword from progressing any further into his body.

A grin spread across Deidara's face when he heard another explosion. Sasuke must have landed one of the mines! Sure enough, he had, and the explosion of that mine set off a chain reaction which set off all of the other mines in the area. Deidara began laughing at the beauty of his art, and at the pathetic display of Sasuke. The boy had failed to kill him, and he thought that he could kill Itachi? The very idea was laughable!

Sasuke then suddenly shot out from the smoke that the explosion caused, with a black Chidori crackling in his hands. With it, he easily ripped through Deidara's clay bird. Deidara's eyes widened as he fell to the ground and realized that there was nothing he could do. He tried to straighten his body so that he landed on his feet. He did, but he felt his legs snap upon impact. Deidara grunted in pain as his body collapsed to the ground. How the hell was he going to heal two broken legs? And how would he win now? He was just a sitting duck at this point! Maybe, maybe if he feigned death...

Deidara lay perfectly still and held his breath as Sasuke approached. His head was position so that he could see Sasuke walk towards him. The Uchiha was no longer using the power of the curse seal. Sasuke eyed Deidara's body with suspicion. A few moments passed, and Deidara thought that Sasuke would leave him.

"All of that talk, and now you're playing dead? Save yourself the embarrassment and just tell me where Itachi is," Sasuke said, causing Deidara to ball his hands together in anger.

"Fuck you..." Deidara growled.

"I see your life has little meaning to you if you're going to withhold a little piece of information from me. I already know he's heading towards Konoha... I find it quite odd that Akatsuki has two teams heading towards there. Mind telling me what's going on?" Sasuke asked as he placed his blade near Deidara's throat.

"This information will cost you, bastard... you sure you want it?" Deidara asked.

"I fail to see how you can still threaten me from the position you're in. Just spit it out."

"Fine... three of our own betrayed us and are heading to Konoha, which is likely in ruins now because of a terrible jutsu that one of them has. We're here to eliminate them and capture the tailed beast inside of one of the rogues and that cocky blonde punk. Itachi and Kisame are going to capture him," Deidara explained.

Sasuke pulled his sword back and sheathed it, "There, was that so hard?" he asked mockingly.

"Fuck you... you're marked for death, yeah! I'll make sure you die, you son of a bitch!"

Sasuke shook his head at the downed Akatsuki member as he turned and walked away towards the direction the rest of his team had headed off to. Hopefully they had managed to dispose of that joke of an Akatsuki member. If he had to kill that masked man...

* * *

Tobi glanced behind him in hopes that his scary pursuers had been lost. They were not.

"EEEEEEEE!" Tobi squealed more as he picked up speed.

"Damn it, how does he go even faster?" Suigetsu yelled angrily, "I want to gut that pig so it stops squealing, too!"

"It's no use! He's just too fast!" Karin complained.

"Do you think Sasuke is okay? There were lots of explosions back there..." Jugo said, apparently giving up on trying to catch Tobi.

All of a sudden Sasuke jumped out from the foliage, sword drawn, and he tackled Tobi to the ground. The masked man whimpered and squirmed as Sasuke pointed the tip of the sword at Tobi's neck.

"Your partner is dead," Sasuke lied, "He told me a bit of what I wanted to know, but then he kept his mouth shut, so I slit his throat. Hopefully you're willing to share some more."

Tobi's little heart broke at the news of Deidara's death. He felt tears well up in his eye, which began to fall. His senior... the man he respected so much... killed by this super spooky man!

"Weasel and Fishy are heading to Konoha..." Tobi said lowly.

"I know that. Tell me some more," Sasuke said with a sick grin, undeterred by Tobi's strange nicknames.

"They will be there in about two days."

"That's a good boy," Sasuke said as he sheathed his sword. He got off of Tobi and looked towards his teammates.

"You better have a good reason why you were still chasing him," Sasuke said coldly to them.

"That little pipsqueak's way too fast!" Suigetsu protested, "There was just no way we could catch him!"

"...I suppose he was moving quite fast. Fine... let's get out of here. We have no more time to waste," Sasuke said. The other members of Hebi nodded as they began to run off.

Tobi stood up and took off his mask to wipe the tears from his remaining eye. He placed the mask back on and glared in the direction that Hebi had departed from.

"You're not getting away..." he said coldly, "You'll pay for what you did to Deidara..."

Tobi then shot forward with a tremendous burst of speed. In a few seconds, he had caught up with Hebi, and he tackled Sasuke to the ground. He began wailing on the Uchiha boy with his fists until he was thrown off of Sasuke by Jugo.

"Get away from him!" Jugo growled as he charged forward and swung his arm at Tobi. Jugo was surprised when his arm completely passed through Tobi's body. Suigetsu ran towards Tobi and swung Kubikiribocho at his head. The sword also passed through Tobi's body.

"What the hell?" Suigetsu swore as he swung his weapon some more and found that none of his attacks were connecting.

"It's some jutsu he's using!" Karin exclaimed.

Tobi slowly walked towards Sasuke, ignoring the attempted attacks on him by Suigetsu and Jugo.

"I wasn't aware that you could actually be serious. Tell you what... I lied. Your partner is still alive," Sasuke said.

"And why should I believe you?" Tobi asked.

"Because it's better than throwing your life away in an attempt to kill me," Sasuke stated bluntly. The two stared at each other for a few moments, and then Tobi suddenly departed.

"What a nuisance... let's go," Sasuke said to his team.

"I don't believe Dei-Dei is dead," Tobi said to himself as he ran away from Hebi, "I'm gonna check where we last were together..."

He sprinted through the forest until he reached the clearing in the area. The ground was pocketed with several craters: a tell tale sign that Deidara had been there. And crumpled on the ground was a figure wearing black robes with blonde hair. From the distance, Tobi could see that one of his legs was bent in a way that legs were not made to be bent.

He cautiously approached Deidara, asking in a fearful tone, "Dei-Dei? Are you alive?"

"I thought I told you... not to call me that," Deidara coughed, greatly relieving Tobi's worries by speaking. The worries were relived so much that Tobi cheered in glee and ran over and hugged Deidara.

"GAH! CUT THAT OUT!" Deidara shouted, "BE CAREFUL! I HAVE TWO BROKEN LEGS, YOU IDIOT!"

Tobi quickly released Deidara. "Oh yeah... that must suck," he said playfully. His voice then became serious as he added, "I'm... I'm glad you're alive, Deidara."

Deidara blinked in confusion at his partner's display of affection, not to mention his serious demeanor. He had only ever seen Tobi as an annoying hyperactive goofball.

"Hmm..." Deidara grunted, "You still ran away. You could have at least assisted me in defeating Sasuke, yeah! You are worthless!"

"I'm sorry, Dei-Dei..." Tobi sighed. Deidara pictured him having a very overdramatic pout on his face. "But... I can fix your legs. Will that make up for it?" Tobi added with a tilt of the head.

"Just _how_, exactly, are you going to mend my twisted muscles and broken bones, hmm?" Deidara snapped.

"Medicine," Tobi said matter-of-factly.

"You honestly expect me to believe that spreading a _gel_ on my _skin_ will heal legs that are _twisted_ and _bones_ that are _broken_?"

"Yup," Tobi said as he reached into his robes and pulled out a small jar. "It's a special recipe... it'll hurt, but it'll fix things!"

He screwed off the lid of the jar and dipped a few of his gloved fingers into the gelatinous substance inside of it. He set the jar down and brushed aside Deidara's robes and he pulled up Deidara's pant legs to the best of his ability, being extra careful not to disturb the twisted leg too much. He then placed the gel on Deidara's legs and began spreading it around.

Deidara grunted loudly as he felt tremendous pain on his legs. He looked down at them and watched in amazement as the legs mended themselves. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but he could not deny the effectiveness of the medicine. Once the legs had mended themselves, Tobi pulled down Deidara's pant legs and placed the jar of medicine back into his cloak.

Deidara tested his legs by moving them around and then righting himself up. To his amazement, they worked and felt fine. He wasn't even going to ask what was in the medicine, but he suspected the material inside had some sort of healing chakra imbued within it.

"That... that was pretty amazing stuff, Tobi. I'm sorry I doubt you and scold you all the time... but it's not like you try to avoid that, yeah," Deidara said softly.

"Yeah... I may be childish, but I'm not dumb," Tobi said, the blissfully stupid tone usually in his voice missing.

"Hmm?" Deidara grunted as he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not dumb, like you seem to think. I may not be able to help myself sometimes from acting the way I do... but I know something's wrong with me... and I don't like it. I already look weird, but now I'm having these strange dreams. The dreams sometimes happen when I'm sleeping, but sometimes when I'm awake."

"Oh?" Deidara asked with interest, "What are these dreams about?"

"I can't tell for sure... everything's so short, so blurry. There's three people I see often: a girl with brown hair, someone with white hair, and someone with yellow hair. And then there's the Man..."

"The man?"

"Yeah... I think I was trapped or something. My oldest memory was darkness, but I think the dreams happened before the darkness. The Man saved me. The Man gave me this mask. The Man told me to seek out Akatsuki. But I never saw the Man again. I don't know who I am, Deidara. I think these dreams are memories that I have forgotten."

"Your face... maybe I can recognize you. Can I see it?" Deidara asked, his interest very piqued. He doubted he would be able to identify who Tobi was, but he was always curious as to what was underneath the mask, and now seemed to be the best chance to ask.

"I... I don't look good. But I trust you, Deidara. We're good friends. I'll let you see," Tobi said quietly as he slowly removed the orange spiraled mask. Beneath the mask was a boyish face that was tainted with several scars, several of them appearing to be caused by pressure from blunt force. The scars were also distorted in certain areas, a sign that Tobi's face used to be even more messed up before someone tried healing it. An eye patch covered his left eye, and the left side of his face seemed less scarred than his right side, but the difference was barely detectable. However, all of these details came to Deidara after he got over the fact that shocked him to most: Tobi's right eye was a Sharingan!

"You... have a Sharingan?" Deidara breathed in awe, "Does that mean...?"

"I don't know..." Tobi muttered, "I just don't know anything about myself. I may have been an Uchiha... or maybe the Man gave me it. I just don't know..."

Deidara could see that Tobi was disturbed by this conversation, so he decided to wrap things up.

"I'm afraid I don't recognize you, but that Sharingan can really help me out. Sasuke caught me off guard... I want to make sure I pulverize him the next time we fight. And to do that, I need to train against someone with a Sharingan. Itachi wouldn't do that, but I think you have no problem with that. Will you help me sometime?" Deidara asked.

Tobi smiled before he put his mask back on.

"Suuuure thing, Dei-Dei!" Tobi exclaimed, his voice back to its usual gleeful self.

"And things go back to normal, hmm..." Deidara sighed as he reached into his clay pouch and constructed two birds. He and Tobi climbed atop the constructs, which then take off.

"Well, it's certainly lucky Sasuke's heading to Konoha. We're bound to meet up again, and this time, I'll kill him," Deidara said with a sadistic grin.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set, casting across the sky brilliant yellows and oranges. The beautiful sky clashed heavily with what was happening on the earth below. Shizune's group was walking away from the body-covered and bloodstained grounds of the academy. Their destination was now towards the Administration Building so that they could reunite with Tsunade, Sakura, and whoever else they found. That is, if they were still alive...

The group had been silent after Shikamaru's outburst inside the academy. Naruto shamefully walked behind the group, his head bowed, while Shikamaru was in front of the group moving at an agitated and brisk pace.

"I'm really sorry, Shikamaru," Naruto said quietly as he continued staring at the ground, "My emotions get the better of me back there."

Shikamaru sighed and stopped moving. He turned around with a sad smile and said, "Yeah... I understand. I'm sorry for being a bit of a jackass, myself."

"How touching. Gonna kiss to make up?" Kiba taunted.

"Now is hardly the time to start things..." Yamato said with a sigh.

"Hey, someone's gotta raise spirits in a time like this," Kiba replied with a shrug.

"Am I the only one concerned about the emptiness of the village?" Kurenai asked, changing the subject before one of the younger boys began arguing with Kiba.

"No... you're not the only one," Shizune said, "where could all of those creatures gone?"

"This village is a lot bigger than it seems, but still..." Shikamaru said, "...assuming only a small amount of the populace is still alive, you would think that the zombies would be here."

"They're probably hunting," Ibiki said, "and the only ones that we'll come across will be crippled, trapped, or inside buildings."

"I suppose so... let's just be thankful that we don't have to deal with them for now," Ken said. From the following silence, Naruto guessed that nobody liked hearing that "for now" either. He looked around and realized where they were.

"Hold on... I need to do something," Naruto announced as he walked away from the group.

"Where are you going?" Shizune asked in a firm tone. Naruto stopped himself as he realized that he was being too brash. He turned to look at the group and answered her by saying, "It's old man Teuchi and Ayame at Ichiraku Ramen... they're... they wouldn't want to be like this. I owe them for the way they always treated me."

"I understand... but please don't prolong this. I don't want to sound rude, but we need to get back to the Administration Building soon," Shizune said. Naruto nodded and continued walking away.

He went down a few alleyways and emerged next to the ramen stand where he had so many good times (and meals) in the past. The zombified forms of Teuchi and Ayame were still near the stand, although they were now aimlessly shambling in the streets. Naruto reached into his pouch of ninja tools and produced a kunai as he walked over to them.

The two zombies slowly turned around to stare at Naruto with their soulless white eyes before they groaned and began approaching him at a sluggish pace. Naruto did not falter this time: he kept moving.

"I just want to thank you two for being some of the very few people that treated me like a person rather than a monster. I'm sorry you had to go through this, but... I'm going to free you now," Naruto said quietly as he sped forward and jammed the kunai he held into Teuchi's head. He then quickly pulled out a few shuriken and threw them into Ayame's face. The two zombies fell to the ground, and Naruto said nothing as he turned around and ran back towards the group.

Once they had reunited, they continued their trek through the dead village. Even as the Administration Building appeared in the distance, the eerie silence remained as both the dead and the living remained silent.

The silence was broken as they arrived at the Administration Building. Unfortunately, it was just Juli complaining about the smell. The air did have a fetid stench due to all of the bodies littering the area in front of the Administration Building from the conflicts earlier today. Everyone began to look around the area for signs of people in the distance.

A few minutes passed, and there were no signs of Tsunade or anyone else.

"Oh, I hope they're safe..." Yamato said quietly.

"So, how long until we give up?" Ken asked.

"Ken!" Megumi exclaimed in a troubled tone.

"What? Yes, it may sound rude, but I have a point! We can't just wait here forever for people that may very well be dead!"

"Fifteen more minutes," Shizune snapped at Ken, causing him to shut up.

Five more minutes passed, and there was still no sign of Tsunade, Sakura, or anyone else. Ken was about to mouth of some more, but before he could speak, he heard an ecstatic Shizune shout out, "Lady Tsunade!"

"Shizune!" responded Tsunade from the distance. Everyone turned towards the direction of her voice and saw several people running quickly towards them. Tsunade, Sakura, Guy, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Hinata, and Hanabi were all safe!

"Sakura!" Naruto called out. For a moment his mind wandered away from Iruka's death as he ran over and embraced Sakura. Hinata sadly watched the two as they hugged, but she would not be deterred. When Sakura and Naruto let go, Hinata moved in and embraced Naruto.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Naruto..." Hinata said quietly as she let go of Naruto. She frowned, because she knew that Naruto was not showing her the same amount of affection he showed Sakura, simply because he embraced Sakura and did not return her own embrace.

Relieved greetings passed around the reunited groups, along with a few introductions (in Ken, Megumi, and Juli's cases). Tsunade felt no need to keep silent on the casualty they suffered earlier in the day. She cleared her throat after the greetings had died down somewhat. Everyone's eyes were on her.

"I am glad that all of you have made it... I truly am. But earlier today, we lost someone. That someone was Shino Aburame, who valiantly fought against Reiko but lost his life in the process," she said.

"Reiko?" Shizune asked.

"Hmm... looks like she bothered us more than she did your group... if she even attacked you. The cloaked woman that started this terrible plague... Reiko Uchiha."

"An Uchiha!" Yamato exclaimed, with most of the other people that did not know expressing similar shock.

"She also has a Mangekyo Sharingan... she's incredibly dangerous," Sakura added.

"That is concerning, but I am not surprised that she is an Uchiha," Ibiki said.

"And why is that?" Neji asked, "They were all wiped out!"

"Don't make me laugh. Do you honestly think every Uchiha was there that day? Do you think that every single Uchiha resided in Konoha? The Uchiha are a very old clan, Neji... there could be an Uchiha settlement elsewhere in the world. We just don't know."

"What about Ino and Choji?" Shikamaru asked with concern. He looked around at everyone else for an answer, but he only received hurt looks, "What... you don't mean...?"

"Everyone here seems to be hesitant to say things because they want to sugar coat the truth," Ken said, "but the group I was in searched a _lot_ of the village. If your friends aren't here right now, then they're likely dead... deal with it."

"Ken! Stop being like that!" Megumi exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"I see..." Shikamaru said quietly as tears fell from his face. He looked up at Ken with a fierce glare, "You're lucky, medic, that I respect my fallen comrades so much, or else I'd be attacking you right now for showing such blatant disrespect towards them."

_Ino's probably dead..._ Sakura thought as she looked down in sadness.

"Stop it, Ken! I won't tolerate your behavior! You can tell the truth as you want, but you cross the line between being acceptably blunt and treading on the feelings of others," Tsunade said.

"What do we do now?" Yamato asked suddenly, looking to change the subject before an argument erupted, "The reinforcements from Sunagakure will not be here until next night at the very least..."

"We've searched the village today, and these are the only people that have survived in our eyes. We barricade ourselves in this building and wait," Tsunade said.

"You can't be serious! What if there are still people needing to be saved out there?" Naruto asked.

"Do you want to scour every single inch of this village? We can't afford to devote that much time when our survival is a priority! Scanning the entire village is not only a waste of time; it's also a suicidal mission. I hate to say this... but if there are still people out there, then only the gods can save them now."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but he realized Tsunade's point. There was just no way. It seemed terribly cruel, but... she was right.

"Sai, is there any way you can use your techniques to leave a message on the gates to this village? It would be nice if the reinforcements knew where to go," Tsunade asked.

"I've never tried using my drawings to leave a message elsewhere, but I don't think it's out of the question," he responded as he pulled out his scroll and began to draw.

"Well, if we're barricading up in this building..." Yamato said.

"Yes. We will need to cleanse it of any undead inside," Tsunade said, "but our first task should be to bury Kakashi. Our emotions consumed us when he turned, and we didn't show his body the proper respect it deserved... we simply left his corpse there in my office. We shall remedy that, as well as burying Anko's remains."

"Shall we split up?" Guy suggested, "Form a few teams to take down the undead in the building?"

"That's a good idea. Naruto, Sakura, Shizune, and I will bury Kakashi and Anko. Guy, your team and Genma will clear out the left wing of the building. Yamato, you will lead Sai, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Ibiki in clearing out the left wing. We will save the main building for later. Kurenai, you will supervise Ken, Megumi, Juli, Hanabi, and Hinata in cleaning up the bodies in the lobby and other areas. Be very careful, as there may still be undead roaming the building. Arrive back in the lobby when you are done. You all have your orders... let us begin," Tsunade commanded.

Tsunade opened the doors to the Administration Building and stepped in. The others followed, splitting up into their assigned teams as they entered. Shizune, Naruto, and Sakura followed Tsunade as she went straight for the staircase that led to the third floor. The trip up the long staircases seemed shorter this time.

Tsunade wasted no time when they arrived on the third floor. She briskly walked over to the hallway that housed her office. A few undead were in the hallway, and they greeted the Hokage with hungry groans as they began approaching her. Tsunade flicked the heads of the two closest zombies, snapping their necks upon impact. For the more distant zombies, she simply threw a few kunai into their heads.

"Shizune, open the door and get Kakashi's body ready. Naruto, Sakura, help me get rid of these bodies," Tsunade commanded.

Shizune walked to the door to her office and mentally prepared herself to see Kakashi's corpse again. She had developed a crush on the silver haired man ever since she returned to the village with Tsunade, but she never gained enough courage to confess her feelings to him. And now it was too late. Seeing his body would pain her, but it had to be done. She took a deep breath as she willed herself.

"Here we go..." Shizune exhaled as she slowly opened the door to Tsunade's office.

The first thing she saw was that Kakashi's body was not slumped over in front of Tsunade's desk, as it had been when they left the office earlier that day. The first thing she heard was a ghastly roar.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Somehow, Kakashi was not dead, despite having a kunai jammed in his head. His mask was tattered and ripped, revealing his face, which was contorted into a snarl. Blood stained the area around his mouth.

Kakashi lunged for Shizune and grabbed her as he moved his head to bite her neck. Shizune shrieked and struggled with the zombie as she tried to push him off, but Kakashi was stronger than she was.

Tsunade heard Shizune's scream and quickly ran towards her. Without a hint of hesitation, Tsunade slammed her fist into Kakashi's face. The force of the blow crushed his head and was enough to make him fly and crash through the window on the other end of the room, where he landed on the ground outside amidst the other bodies.

Shizune breathed heavily as she held her neck where Kakashi had tried to bite her. Tsunade was about to ask if she was okay, but then her eyes caught what was in the room, which disgusted her heavily.

"AHH!" she yelled as she left the room, Shizune following her as she, too, saw what disturbed Tsunade.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked.

"Kakashi... he wasn't dead. He almost got Shizune, but I saved her. But in that room... it's disgusting," Tsunade said.

Naruto's curiosity overcame him, and he poked his head into the room to see what disturbed the two ladies. He wished he hadn't.

It was Anko's body... what was left recognizable of it- and that was mostly the clothes. It was sprawled across the floor, the head crushed in by the repeated kunai stabs that he had performed on her earlier. Blood and brain matter pooled around the mutilated and marred head, and the brain matter looked like maggots to Naruto. Kakashi had apparently eaten most of the rest of the body, as blood was everywhere. Anko's innards were visible, with some of them outside of her body, chewed on and then left there to rot. The only flesh that was untouched was a small part of her chest and shoulder. Her top was ripped open, exposing her right breast. The surrounding area was ripped open and bloody like most of her body. The smell her body gave off was absolutely revolting.

Naruto turned away in disgust and closed the door as he held back vomit.

"We... we can't just leave that in there, can we?" Naruto asked once he had recovered.

"No... I'll have to get the two elders out from the secure hidden room in there. We'll need someone with an iron will and an even stronger stomach to get that body out of there..." Tsunade said quietly. She then realized that she had never got to ask if Shizune was okay or not. She looked towards her assistant, who was still clutching the area that Kakashi had tried to bite. She looked terrified, which unnerved Tsunade.

"Shizune... are you okay?" she asked with concern. Shizune slowly turned towards the Hokage, tears forming in her eyes. She removed the hand from her neck, showing that it had blood on it.

"He... he bit me..." Shizune said, tears choking her voice.

Tsunade's eyes widened as she felt her insides twist themselves into a knot. No... this couldn't... this wasn't happening!

"Please don't kill me! I don't want to die!" Shizune cried out. Shortly after, she broke down into sobs. The group stood in silence, the only noise heard being her sobs.

"We won't kill you. We can't," Sakura said in a pained manner.

"But she could turn at any minute!" Naruto exclaimed in a panicked tone, "We... we have to!"

"Who's going to do it?" Sakura shouted, "None of us could kill Kakashi when he was about to turn! I tried to, but look what happened! I fucked it up and now Shizune is going to die because of me!"

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed.

"WHAT? ARE YOU GOING TO TRY AND TELL ME I'M WRONG?" Sakura snapped at Naruto, "BULLSHIT! I FUCKED UP, NARUTO! I COULDN'T KILL KAKASHI!"

"We... the interrogation room here... we'll tie you up there," Tsunade said, her voice quiet and distant. Her countenance showed that she still couldn't believe that this was happening.

"Thank you... for showing me mercy..." Shizune said sadly, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

They began walking towards the interrogation room on the same floor. Naruto tightly balled his hands into fists. His nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood. This wasn't right... Shizune had to be dealt with properly! It seemed cruel, but... what if she broke free after she had turned? Zombies were persistent and deceptively strong. Shizune was a danger to all of the survivors!

They entered the interrogation room, which was free of the undead. Shizune walked over to a wall with metal clamps on it, and Tsunade shackled them on her. Tsunade seemed to snap out of a trance as the graveness of the situation dawned on her.

"Don't die on me, Shizune," she growled as she began healing her wound, "I can fix this! This isn't the end!"

"Lady Tsunade..." Shizune said weakly as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Her breaths were becoming more ragged and her skin was becoming paler, "Please... stop. Healing me... won't work. You must leave me be. I'm done for..."

"NO!" Tsunade fiercely yelled as hot tears began to roll down her cheeks, "DON'T TALK SUCH BULLSHIT! I CAN HEAL YOU! I CAN HEAL THIS! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!"

Naruto and Sakura stared wordlessly at the scene before them.

"We can't just leave her here... she's endangering us all!" Naruto spoke up, "We have to kill her..."

"I'm not afraid anymore... Naruto has a point. You need to kill me before it's too late," Shizune said. Tsunade remained silent as she continued healing Shizune's wound. It had completely closed by now, but her condition wasn't improving. Tsunade's body shook with frequent sobs and frantic breaths.

Naruto clenched his teeth tightly as he realized what he had to do. He was the only one with a clear mind right now. He walked over to Tsunade.

"I'll do it. I'll end her life," Naruto said quietly as he laid a hand on Tsunade's shoulder. The Hokage shot him back a look of sheer spite.

"You do that, and I'll kill you," she said, her voice dripping with cold venom.

"Tsunade... don't do this..." Shizune whimpered, "He's doing the right thing."

Tsunade tightly gripped the folds of Shizune's robes that her hands were resting on as she bit her lip hard until she tasted blood.

"Give me..." she said, her voice barely audible, "...one last moment with her."

Naruto sadly nodded as Tsunade and Shizune both shared a tight embrace. They whispered back and forth for a bit before Shizune leaned up and kissed Tsunade on the forehead. Tsunade then stood up and briskly walked away from Shizune, her back turned. Her face was contorted into a look of sheer pain and sadness.

"Shizune..." Sakura managed to say quietly as she stared at the weak and dying form of a close friend and teacher.

Naruto pulled a kunai out of his ninja tool pouch and slowly walked over to Shizune. She looked up at him with a warm smile uncharacteristic of someone who was about to die.

"Thank you Naruto... for being so brave to do this. Braver than I was at first. Please take care of Lady Tsunade... she means more than the world to me..." Shizune said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"I will... I promise," Naruto said sadly as he raised the kunai and prepared to drive it into her skull.

Shizune's look of contentment was suddenly replaced by one of pain as she lurched forward and began to cough. Her body shuddered with each hacking cough, and some blood fell from her mouth as she did so. As soon as the coughing started, it abruptly stopped. Her body was still.

Naruto's grip tightened around the kunai's handle. The deed had to be done. He thrust the blade downward. Moments before impact, he felt a tight grip around his wrist. He looked in horror to see that Tsunade had stopped him from proceeding!

"What are you-" Naruto began.

"I won't let you... you can't. I will make sure that she's restrained..." Tsunade said monotonously, "I can't... I can't..."

Her words died out as she began to cry again. Naruto dropped the kunai he held, which clashed against the floor. He managed to break free of Tsunade's weakened grip and he began walking out the room.

"I'll leave that kunai there... so you can kill her when you come to reason," Naruto said coldly as he left the room. Sakura could find no words to say, so she left the room as well.

Tsunade stood alone in the room, her head bowed as tears fell from her eyes and splashed against the floor.

_I'm so pathetic... so fucking pathetic..._ she thought shamefully as she continued to cry. The flow of her tears were halted when she heard the shackles knock against the wall. Shizune started to stir.

Tsunade knew not to, but she couldn't help it. She slowly looked up with horror to face her assistant who was like a daughter to her. Shizune stared back at Tsunade, her usual warm dark eyes now a cold, milky white.

A shrill and haunting scream that sounded as if it could have resonated throughout the entire village filled the room, and most likely the building. Tsunade sank to her knees and began bawling into her hands. She needed to escape this depression and do what was right... to end Shizune's mockery of life. She crawled towards the kunai that Naruto had dropped and picked it up with trembling fingers.

She shakily stood herself up and looked at Shizune, who quietly moaned as she attempted to reach towards Tsunade. Her arms did not move very far since they were restrained by shackles, so instead she snapped her jaw at Tsunade, who walked closer to her. The hand holding the kunai greatly shook as it approached Shizune's head. The tip of the blade eventually pressed against her forehead, but Tsunade could move it no further. She felt the knife drop from her shaking hands, and she took a few steps away from Shizune.

"_**DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMNNNN IIIIIIIITTT!**_" Tsunade screamed as she slammed her fist into the ground, creating a significant dent in the room, which was specifically made to resist the strongest of attacks from interrogated criminals that had freed themselves from their restraints. Tsunade wiped the tears from her eyes and left the room, closing the door and leaving Shizune the way she was. She just couldn't kill her.

As she walked away from the room, she felt great anger boiling inside of her. The next time she saw those two ex-Akatsuki sons of bitches... they would die quickly by her hands.

* * *

A girl approached Konoha, the folds of her black shirt and miniskirt fluttering in the breeze. She tilted her head in confusion as she saw the village in the horizon, her wavy brown hair fashioned into two pigtails moving accordingly. The girl might have looked normal, but any passerby would notice the large disembodied eyeball the size of a human head floating next to her.

"You _sure_ Kenny's here?" the girl asked as she turned to look at the eye.

_"I am positive, Niomi,"_ the eye responded. Nobody except the girl named Niomi would have heard the unusual creature speak, as it spoke inside of her mind with telepathy.

A wide grin appeared on Niomi's face, "Yippee! We can kill him and his little girlfriend!" she ecstatically exclaimed, "And he'll then rot in hell for leaving me!"

_"Calm down, Niomi. We're not just here for vengeance, and we will still have to search the village for them first,"_ the eye responded.

"What! What else are we here for?" the girl questioned angrily as she stomped her feet on the ground like a child.

_"To join Akatsuki, of course. One of their members is on her way right now. We'll set up an arrangement where we simply kill them, and then we can take their places."_

"Wha? Akatsuki? What's that?"

_"Never mind, Niomi. Just... don't blow everything up when you get in the village," _the eye said as it sighed with exasperation.

Niomi pouted and crossed her arms across her chest, "Aw, Zhale, you're no fun..." Niomi complained.

Niomi and the eye known as Zhale continued approaching Konoha as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky...


	13. Approaching Dusk

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 13:

Tsunade slowly walked into the lobby, her head hanging lowly. She looked more like a whipped dog instead of the powerful Hokage. Sakura, who, along with Naruto, had helped the team that was cleaning up the bodies in the lobby, first took notice of her.

"Lady Tsunade?" she asked anxiously as the Hokage wordlessly sat down on the nearest sofa, her head still hanging lowly. Naruto and Sakura had told the others in the lobby about what had happened, so nobody was confused as to why Tsunade was acting the way she was.

"I see you've cleaned up the place," Tsunade said quietly, her face still looking downward, "Good work."

"Lady Tsunade, are you sure you're okay? Naruto and Sakura told me about what happened and-" Kurenai began.

"Shizune?" Tsunade asked, looking up for the first time since she revealed herself. She wore a small smile, but her eyes were red and puffy from crying. They deceived the expression she wore, because the inner turmoil she was feeling was readily visible in her eyes. "Shizune is... resting. Just resting," she added in a monotonous tone.

Nobody pressed Tsunade further on the subject. She was obviously deeply wounded on the inside, and she needed time to recover from the emotional trauma she experienced. Even so, she still needed to act as the leader of the survivors, and that was something that the Hokage seemed to realize. Her false smile faded as her expression became blank. "So what is the current situation?" she asked, her voice still quiet and dull.

"We've cleaned up the bodies and also tidied up the place, but we haven't ventured very far into the other areas of the building," Kurenai said, "The other teams aren't back yet, and there are still undead on this floor... we heard them in the distance."

"We need to eradicate them," Tsunade said as she folded her hands together and rested her chin on them. The bleak despair in her eyes had been replaced by a fire of righteous fury. "We'll need to barricade ourselves in this building to prevent those dead bastards from breaking in, and we also need to clean up every room that they have tainted with their presence. Then we have to set up sleeping arrangements and decide who will keep watch for any suspicious activity. Only after that may we finally rest. We have a lot of work ahead of us..."

"So then... what do we do?" Naruto asked.

"Hinata, Hanabi... can the Byakugan see in the dark?" Tsunade asked, ignoring Naruto.

"Yes... it can," Hinata said quietly, "Why?"

"Well we can't barricade ourselves if we have nothing to barricade with. There's a hardware store nearby. I don't know when we should make our move, but if your eyes can see in the dark, then you two and Neji are vital assets to get us the supplies we need."

"So... just some boards, hammers, and nails?" Juli asked.

"Unless you have a better idea," Tsunade sighed.

"Really? There are an awful lot of windows. Must we barricade _all_ of them?" Ken asked. Before he was interrupted by someone complaining about him due to the bad first impressions he gave everyone for his curt behavior, he added, "Because I do know of an alternative solution. Say there is a room with a bookcase or other similar large object. Simply push it in front of the window. Much easier than boarding it up."

"But then the undead could knock it down easily!" Sakura protested.

"Ah, but that's advantageous, isn't it? A loud crash would alert lots of people, and the problem could be dealt with. Just don't have anyone sleep in the rooms with the crude barricades."

"I see... any other ideas? We have some time before the others return," Tsunade said as she lounged back on the sofa. She seemed to have returned to normal... but Naruto knew that she was just burying the pain she felt deep down inside of her. He didn't even know if she had killed Shizune yet... he would have to check on that later.

"Do we need to use all of the building?" Megumi asked, her voice as shy and quiet as usual, "Because this place is very large."

"She has a point. We could seal off the left and right wings once they've returned and just use the central part of the building," Sakura added.

"Thinking about it... when we do start to barricade, we should board up the windows from the outside," Ken said.

"What? Why would you do that?" Naruto asked incredulously towards the medic.

"You're real dense, aren't you? If the boards are nailed in from the outside, then the nails are pointing towards the inside of the building. If the boards were facing the other way, there's a chance those things could push the nails out of the wall by pressing on the board."

For once, Naruto felt no need to protest against being called dumb. That was a pretty clever idea... if only this guy wasn't such a dick.

"So... are we going to wait for the others?" Hanabi asked meekly from behind Hinata. That girl had not departed from her older sister's side ever since the outbreak happened.

"Waiting will only waste time," Tsunade said as she stood up from the sofa and looked around, "We might as well get rid of the other zombies in the building while we wait for the others. Naruto, Sakura; you're with me. We're killing these undead bastards. Kurenai, watch over the others here. If you want to collect supplies from the hardware store, make sure you bring Hinata and/or Hanabi with you so they can keep a look out for any zombies with their Byakugan. Be careful if you do so. Also, don't begin barricading until everyone is in this lobby. We don't want to endanger the entire group by having any zombies still be walking around this building when we're sealing off all exits."

"Understood. We'll acquire the supplies fairly soon," Kurenai said.

"Kurenai... just take me and the older Hyuga girl with you. I know some combat techniques, so I can defend myself and anyone else if need be. But taking anyone else will endanger them and our group," Ken said sternly.

"If the teams sent to dispose of the undead in the left and right wings come back, tell them they can help eradicate the rest of the undead. We're going to make marks on the doors of the rooms that we've dealt with. Tell them to be careful if they want to help, because they'll need to be quiet to not draw attention towards them, but not quiet enough to startle us. Let's go, you two," Tsunade said as she began walking. Naruto and Sakura nodded, and followed the Hokage.

"Are we going to split up?" Sakura asked.

"No... not yet. We're going to the main offices," Tsunade said sternly.

"The main offices? But... there could be several of those-"

"I know," Tsunade said lowly. Her hair was shielding most of her face from Sakura's point of view, but... was... was she _smiling?_ Sakura decided not to press her questions further. She had rarely seen the Hokage like this, but she knew to remain silent when it did happen. Naruto did not.

"Are you crazy, Granny? First the situation with Shizune, and now this? Are you _trying_ to get us all killed?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade shot him a murderous glare as she hissed, "I know _exactly_ what I'm doing, Naruto. Shizune has been taken care of. Trust me. And if you're too scared to take on all of the zombies in the main offices, then I'll just do it myself. You two can watch."

Naruto was about to protest until he realized that they were in front of the doors leading to the main offices. There was no way he could prevent Tsunade from entering that room... she was far too strong. She reached for the doorknob...

There had to have been at least forty in the room. All of them eerily turned to face Tsunade slowly as the door cracked open... except for the ten-or-so that were occupied with feasting upon the body of a young woman. The standing zombies began to moan and approach Tsunade, but it would be incredibly difficult to get to her from their current positions just because of all of the desks and other obstacles in the room.

"Naruto... Sakura... pay close attention," Tsunade said, "these things are an abomination to life, and the same goes to the people that create them. Show them absolutely no mercy!"

Tsunade assumed an aggressive stance, and Naruto was about to move to stop her from recklessly charging towards the undead. He blinked as he stepped forward, and when he opened his eyes he noticed that all of the zombies on the left half of the room were now dead and that Tsunade was across from him, only visible as a green and yellow blur.

A loud crash happened as Tsunade slammed her fist into the middle of the feasting group of zombies, shattering three of their heads upon impact and scattering the other eight across the room. They were quickly disposed of... all except one.

Tsunade stood in the middle of the room, panting, as she held up a zombified woman with long black hair by the collar of her shirt. The woman looked a lot like Reiko... Tsunade roared with anger as she slammed her fist into the woman's face, causing it to explode from the sheer force of her blow. She dropped the body and began pounding on it.

"YOU KILLED HER! YOU TOOK HER AWAY FROM ME! BRING HER BACK! BRING HER BACK!" she cried as she delivered blow after blow to the body of the woman, gradually reducing it to a pile of bloody mush. At this point, blood coated Tsunade's hands and her outfit.

Tsunade's outburst snapped Naruto out of the initial surprise of seeing her move so fast. She must have used her unmatched chakra control to enhance her speed instead of her strength. But right now, she needed to return to her senses. Shizune's death had opened a hole inside of her, and it was up to Naruto to close it shut. Not to be cruel, but so she could function effectively as a leader. The survivor group needed her to be strong and tough; not a loose cannon of emotion. She needed to overcome her losses like everyone else in the group had. The sooner he could get her head screwed back on, the better.

Naruto walked over to Tsunade. Sakura called out his name and reached forward to stop him, but she ceased her actions as she realized what had to be done. He grabbed the Hokage's shoulder and sharply pulled her away from the body of the zombie she was wailing on. Before she could say anything, Naruto decked her across the face, causing her to fall to the ground.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Naruto shouted, "I know it hurts, Tsunade, but you can't let yourself fall apart over this! I was like this recently when I found out Iruka died... I didn't want to go on. But Shikamaru told me that everyone in this village who is still standing has gone through the same thing! You have to bury the pain, especially since you're the Hokage! There are people that depend on your leadership!"

Tsunade teared up at Naruto's words. She looked down at her hands, which were dripping with blood. Her clothing was stained crimson. She began shaking uncontrollably as she started to sob. Sakura ran over and comforted the wounded woman, whispering to her encouraging words. After a few minutes, Tsunade had composed herself.

"I... I need to change my clothes," she said lowly. She turned to look at Naruto and Sakura as she added, "You two will be fine on your own, right?"

Sakura smiled and nodded, "You can count on us, Lady Tsunade!"

Naruto said nothing as he turned to walk away. He was stopped when Tsunade called out his name. He looked behind his shoulder to see her smiling at him.

"Thank you, Naruto... or should I thank Shikamaru?" she asked as her innocent smile became a sly grin. Naruto rolled his eyes at the woman's antics and resumed his movement.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Sakura asked as the two of them left the room.

"Yeah..." Naruto said as he pulled a kunai out and scratched out a large 'X' on the doors to the main offices, "If she was feeling similar to how I felt, then she felt completely lost. She just needed to hear that she wasn't alone in her pain, and alone in her struggle. We're all together right now... we all have each others' backs."

"Wow... that's surprisingly mature of you, Naruto... I'm impressed," Sakura said with a slight smirk.

"Oh, shut it," Naruto barked as he crossed his arms in defiance.

"Ah, there's the Naruto I know," Sakura giggled as she teased Naruto by playfully poking his shoulder.

"C'mon, we have work to do," Naruto sighed as he walked towards the nearest door. He cracked the door open and peered inside. The room seemed to be an ordinary office, although it had to have belonged to someone high up in the administrative chain if they had their own office separate from the main offices. From what he could see, everything was fine... except for the fact that the desk was toppled over. Several papers were sprawled all over the floor, and Naruto could hear a man lowly moaning. He opened the door all of the way and saw a man in a suit, who slowly turned towards Naruto, revealing that half of his face had been torn off, exposing the bloody muscle. Before it took a single step towards him, Naruto ended his life by throwing a shuriken into one of his eyes.

Naruto closed the door and, with a kunai, scratched out another 'X'.

"Do you think we should split up? We can get the job done faster that way," Sakura suggested.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea..." Naruto said with a frown as he placed the kunai back in his ninja tool pouch, which felt much lighter than usual, "I mean, what if one of us runs into too many of them?"

"We won't be that far from each other, dummy. We just call for help," Sakura said as she turned about face and confidently walked away from Naruto.

"Weirdo," Naruto muttered as he watched Sakura round the corner at the other end of the hallway. He shook his head as he turned towards the door next to the one he was currently standing in front of. He walked over to it and opened it just enough so he could look inside of the room.

His eyes were instantly drawn to the dark stain on the floor that could only have been made by the broken coffee maker right next to it. The room seemed to be a break room, almost untouched by signs of the undead, but the few blood stains invisible betrayed a vision of the normal world of yesterday. Then he heard it: a single footstep, shortly after followed by another. He produced yet another kunai from his tool pouch and slowly opened the door to sneak inside and catch the zombie off guard.

At least, those were his intentions. The hinges of the door creaked ominously as it opened. Naruto felt his heart hammer in his chest as he froze and stared at the motionless zombie. It slowly turned around, revealing to Naruto that it was a woman, her glasses askew on her face, her lips a dark crimson from dried blood.

With surprising agility for one of the dead, the woman lunged at Naruto, an angry snarl let loose as her arms grasped at the blonde boy. Naruto, undeterred by the woman's advance, simply performed a sweep kick. Without so much as a surprised grunt, the woman's legs were knocked out from under her and she landed on her back. Before she could even attempt to stand herself back up, Naruto delivered the final blow. He removed the short blade and wiped it on the woman's clothes before leaving the room, shutting the door, and making a mark on the door.

As he looked around, he saw someone he didn't expect to see. Sai left a room down the hallway and made a small mark on it. He looked around and saw Naruto. The two teammates walked up to each other.

"Hey, Sai!" Naruto called out in a hushed tone as to not attract the attention of any undead that might be nearby, "How are things going?"

"Not bad," he replied, "it was a bit hectic in the left wing of the building, but it was not anything too difficult for our team to handle. Kiba, Shikamaru, and Ibiki are helping the others in the lobby... only Yamato and I are assisting your group, Naruto. Where are Sakura and the Hokage?"

"Both cleaning house. Speaking of cleaning..."

The two then discussed what exactly they were going to do. Tsunade hadn't exactly coordinated the mission in the most efficient way. The two eventually decided on just focusing on eradicating all of the zombies. Once that job was taken care of, everyone in the lobby could assist in cleaning up the corpses and the rooms themselves. If they bumped into Sakura, Yamato, or Tsunade, they would tell them about their plan. Just as they concluded their brainstorming, a scream interrupted their thoughts.

_Sakura!_ Naruto thought with worry. He immediately began running towards the source of the noise, and saw a room that was open. He entered the room, Sai right behind him, and they both saw Sakura on the ground, struggling against a zombie that was on top of her. It moved in to bite her neck, its jaws snapping at the tantalizing thought of drawing blood. Naruto was about to assist, but Sakura simply punched the zombie in the face with her chakra-enhanced strength, causing its head to fly off and crash against the wall of the room. She pushed the zombie's body off of her with disgust and stood up.

"Oh... hey there. Sorry for worrying you," she said with an embarrassed smile as she noticed Naruto and Sai were there. Naruto and Sai both told her of their plan, and she agreed in its effectiveness. They were about to discuss what to do next, but an aggravating clacking noise ruined their focus.

"What's causing that noise?" Naruto asked.

"I believe it's that head Sakura punched off of the man," Sai said nonchalantly as he pointed towards it. Sure enough, the head of the zombie was still snapping its jaws together.

"Gyeeehhh... that's really creepy," Sakura said as she shuddered. Naruto walked over to the head and stabbed the kunai inside of it. He knew he wouldn't be able to free it easily from the head, and he wasn't about to touch it, so he left it inside of the head.

"Well, I think we should all meet back in the main offices once we're done with the dead," Sai said, "I do believe Yamato will want us to investigate something he told me about while we were in the left wing of the building. Be sure to tell him and the Hokage to go there as well."

Sakura and Naruto nodded, and the three split up to cover more ground. It took about an hour of constant searching and fighting, but the undead had finally all been eliminated. Naruto returned to the main offices to see Sakura, Sai, Yamato, and Tsunade (who was in a fresh set of clothes).

"Good... everyone's here. While we may have cleared out all of the undead, we're still not done yet," Yamato said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"I'm talking about the basement," he continued, "it simply has too valuable of a resource to pass up. Of course, I'm referring to the generator in the basement."

"Oh... yes, I forgot about that," Tsunade said, "the power's out in the entire village, but that generator doesn't kick in automatically... it didn't cross my mind when I tried to open the emergency room earlier and nothing happened. I don't think those Akatsuki bastards would have known about the generator in the basement of this building and overlooked it. Having power would certainly make the next few days here easy."

"Indeed... the only problem is the basement itself. We have no idea if there are any undead down there, and it would be pitch black because of the lack of windows. Luckily, I have a flashlight that I found in the left wing, which made me think of this plan in the first place. Who wants to come along?"

"I'm going up to my office, and Sakura will come with me to clean up the bloody mess in there. Once the power kicks on, we'll get the two elders. I think you three can handle this task," Tsunade said.

"Very well. Sai, Naruto... let's go," Yamato said. Naruto and Sai nodded and followed him out of the room. After a bit of walking, they were in front of the door to the basement: the only door in the central area of the building that lacked an X mark on it. It had been opened by Naruto earlier, but there was no way he was walking into that impenetrable black.

"Okay... stay close behind me," Yamato said as he opened the basement door. He turned on the flashlight and shone it on the rickety metal staircase that led further into the depths of the building. Each step they took on the flimsy stairs made a rather audible noise, which discouraged the three men. Hopefully there were no zombies down here...

"Okay, if I remember correctly..." Yamato mused to himself. He shone the flashlight all over the room, hoping to see something that jogged his memory.

"Yes... it's definitely over there," Yamato said as he pointed at a pathway through the equipment in the basement. A pair of white eyes was visible where the beam of light shone before it suddenly flickered and died out, a low groan heard as it happened.

"Shit! The batteries died!" Yamato swore as he threw the flashlight to the ground.

"W-What are we going to do?" Naruto asked in a panic. The approaching footsteps of the zombie didn't ease his concern at all.

"Calm down... we're just going to have to listen and feel our way around," Yamato said. There was a pause, and a small grunt followed by a body hitting the ground.

"I killed it... get close to me. Someone put your hand on my shoulder, and the other put your hand on their shoulder." He waited until he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Okay, is everyone ready?"

With two confirmations, the three began slowly moving, keeping their ears peeled for any noises that could belong to a zombie.

"Just stay calm... panic is our ene-AHG!" Yamato yelled as he tripped and fell. "Don't worry! I just slipped on some blood, I think..."

The line reformed itself, and they continued moving. The only sounds heard were their breathing and their footsteps, some of which occasionally were in blood. Eventually they stopped, and they could hear Yamato tinkering with things.

"And let there be light," he said as he flipped a switch. The familiar hum of flowing electricity was heard as the lights in the basement flickered on. They saw that the blood they stepped in belonged to two nearby corpses that had been gorged upon. The three said nothing as they left the basement and closed the door. Yamato made a mark on the door, and sighed with relief.

"Well, mission accomplished," he said with a grin, "Let's report back to the lobby."

* * *

When they arrived back, they noticed a rather sizable pile of wooden planks in one corner of the room, along with several bags of nails and many hammers. Shortly after they arrived in the lobby, Sakura and Tsunade joined them.

"So Guy's team still hasn't shown up?" Tsunade asked as she looked around the room, counting all of the heads she saw.

"Not until now, Lady Hokage!" Guy exuberantly exclaimed as he gracefully walked into the room with a flashy smile and a thumbs up, "There were quite a few of them in the wing, but our teamwork prevailed!"

"I can tell..." Naruto muttered under his breath as he saw the bloodied clothes Guy and his team were wearing. Judging by the dirty look Neji shot him, he wasn't as quiet as he originally thought.

"Lady Tsunade... what about the elders?" Yamato asked.

"Dead," she said bluntly, "There was a zombie down in the emergency area... probably one of the men that originally constructed it. There's nothing we can do about it now, what a shame." It was quite obvious from her tone of voice that she didn't really care for them at all.

"Changing the subject," she continued, "We now have a lot of work on our hands. Some of you might be wondering why there are so many carpentry supplies in a corner of the room. The answer to that is simple: we're going to have to barricade all of the doors and windows on the first floor. I've thought about the layout of this building and have decided on abandoning the left and right wings. There is enough room in the central building to house all of us, but I will not completely seal off those wings. A simple barricade at their entrances, such as a single plank barring the door, shall suffice. Completely sealing them would be foolish because they might have supplies we may eventually need."

"Don't tell me we did all that work for nothing!" Kiba exclaimed indignantly.

"Of course not. This building is completely zombie-free at the moment. But we're not going to barricade or monitor the left and right wings... it will take enough work just to do it for the central building. A few zombies may slip in the left and right wings and try to reach us from there, but I would rather take a few over the hundreds your teams likely killed. As for the barricading, any broken windows should be barricaded from the outside of the building. Intact windows can have a large piece of furniture blocking them, but that is a temporary solution that will need to be remedied if a zombie breaks in, and obviously nobody will inhabit those rooms, so try to keep the easy barricades at a minimum. The entryways to the building will be barricaded last. This will take some time, so a few of you can have some different jobs. Obviously, there are still many corpses inside of the building. They will need to be disposed of... a large bonfire away from the building should suffice. We can also have a few doing laundry, as no doubt most of us would enjoy a fresh set of clothing. I also do believe that none of us have eaten at all today... there is a kitchen that should have plenty of ingredients. Anybody who wishes to cook a grand meal for us all can do so. I will supervise this operation, and you can direct any questions to me. Understood?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" several people exclaimed. The next few hours were spent doing exactly what Tsunade described. There were many, many rooms in the Administration Building, and all of them had to be tended to, both in barricading and in clean up. Naruto found it ridiculous that a government building had so many rooms, including a laundry room and a kitchen, but then he remembered that this building was originally the mansion for the Hokage, and the government uses of the building were added later in the building's life. Barricading was an arduous task, primarily because most of it was done outside in the dark. A few zombies did sneak up on some of the groups, but thankfully nobody was bitten. The bonfire for the corpses was made in a secluded area where the smoke and fire wouldn't attract the attention of the undead. Naruto assisted in both barricading and in throwing bodies onto the fire. He never saw Shizune's body... was she still inside of the interrogation room? Naruto decided to investigate this later tonight, but for now he needed to work.

The tough job was worth it when they returned inside the building to a fresh set of clothes (they worked in simple white clothes that were in the laundry room) and a very large meal. All of the adrenaline and worry that had been in their systems made them not even realize how hungry they were. Luckily, the cooks had prepared enough food to fill the entire group's stomachs. The way everyone talked, laughed, and smiled during the meal... things finally seemed to be looking up for the group. The comfort and security of a safe hideout did wonders for their spirits, and for their hopes.

After dinner, Tsunade made sleeping arrangements for the group. There were nineteen of them, so she decided on two people a room for security purposes, but she would be alone. They would need a night watch that switched out every few hours just in case something happened: Yamato, Guy, and Ibiki volunteered. Shortly after the rooms were choosing and the pairings were decided with no objections from the group. Eager to get a good night's sleep, the group separated and went to their assigned rooms.

Finally... some peace and quiet on this hellish day.

* * *

Niomi and Zhale were currently in front of the gates of Konoha. They had been waiting for some time, as the sun had set long ago. Niomi's patience was at its limit.

"I'm _bored,_ Zhale," Niomi sighed with exasperation. She was currently sitting on a tall and smooth rock, her legs dangling above the ground and her chin resting on her palms. A very exaggerated pout was on the girl's face.

_"We cannot proceed until I have talked to Akatsuki's representative,"_ Zhale said.

"I'm tired of reading that funny message on the gate. I need something else to do," Niomi sighed with sorrow, "I don't care about reinforcements or who's barricaded where..."

Zhale then began glowing a purple color, the bright light enveloping his entire form. The eye shape then changed into the form of a man, and the glow faded away. Zhale had assumed his true form: a skinny and frail man with shoulder length dark violet hair. A pair of glasses adorned his face, and his skin had a peculiar golden hue to it. His eyes were slanted as well, showing that he was not of this land. He wore a long black coat over a black outfit, and a black Kumogakure headband was worn around his neck, a deep gash across the symbol.

"It's hard enough to maintain that form without your incessant whining!" Zhale snapped at the girl, "How can I improve my powers by maintaining that form if you keep bringing me out of it?"

"Yes, I know, I'm annoying, worthless, pathetic... I'm nothing," Niomi said, her voice on the edge of tears. Zhale let out a frustrated sigh.

"Ooooh! Look!" Niomi exclaimed with cheerfulness, her sadness completely missing from her face. She pointed at the sky and added, "A bunch of paper butterflies!"

"That would be the person who we are supposed to meet," Zhale said as he watched the cluster of paper butterflies move towards the ground and unravel into sheets of paper. The paper swirled around and took the form of a woman before turning into flesh and clothing. The lovely woman known as Konan now stood before him.

"Zhale Sen-Long... you wish to join the ranks of the elite?" she asked.

"Of course. My powers are exceptional, one of a kind, and would greatly assist your cause. My partner here is not as strong, but she is up to par with what you are looking for," Zhale said with confidence.

"Your abilities do not concern me right now. What does concern me is your effectiveness as a shinobi. Being discovered as a spy in your village doesn't seem to be a quality of one of the Akatsuki elite."

"It was a small mistake... that I assure you, Miss Konan."

"Yes, a mistake that cost us all of our intel on Kumogakure. Our knowledge of one of the great shinobi villages is now completely in the dark because of your mistake."

"So you blame me for messing up when your organization aroused suspicion with its repeated attempts to seize the Cloud's two jinchuuriki?"

"That's enough, Zhale. I may disapprove of you joining us, but the leader sees potential in your kekkei genkai. Your clan is known for their ability to achieve the use of all five elements, correct?"

"Yes... the branch that fled across the sea to the Land of Lightning has those capabilities. The rest of the clan that remained on the other continent can use ninjutsu without hand seals. I am a culmination of those two styles, and more."

"_Save the bragging for when you actually do something,_" spoke a male voice. Out of the ground arose Zetsu.

"What are you doing here, Zetsu?" Konan asked.

"I just got here myself. I don't think we should delay things any further," he said, "Zhale wishes to join us, and he even brought a partner as well. I assume you know what must be done?"

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Niomi exclaimed, waving an arm in the air as she hopped down from the rock, "We blast Kenny and the lady to pieces and take the rings!"

"No... not exactly. 'Kenny' is to remain alive," Zetsu said.

"So are you two helping us?" Zhale asked.

"_No... Blacky here just wants to watch stuff,_" Zetsu's white half sighed.

"You and your companion will track down and capture Kenokami and eliminate The Necromancer," Konan said, "I am here for the third renegade."

"Well, good hunting to all of you," Zetsu said as he began to sink into the ground. Before he vanished, his white half chipped in, "_And try not to fuck things up!_"

"So I assume you know what has happened to Konoha?" Konan asked, ignoring Zetsu.

"Yes... I am familiar with what happened in Taiyogakure twenty years ago. Don't forget I was a spy in Kumogakure... I had access to all of their documents, even those top secret ones," Zhale said.

"Very well... I must be on my way now. Good luck to both of you," Konan said as she transformed into several paper butterflies once more, which flew off.

"That lady's cool," Niomi said with childlike wonder.

"Well, you heard her. It's time for our mission," Zhale said to his companion.

"Yay! No more boring!" Niomi exclaimed as she giggled like a small child and skipped into the village at alarming speeds.

"Be careful of the people in here!" Zhale scolded her as he ran towards her, "They are the living dead, and they will not spare you!"

Right after that happened, he heard her scream followed by a cry for help. Zhale rolled his eyes as he continued to run towards the sound of her voice. Sure enough, she found her on the ground, trying to force a man with a bloodied face off of her.

Zhale pointed his arm at the man, and he suddenly began floating in the air. Zhale raised his arm, which caused the zombie to be lifted higher in the air. It tried futilely grabbing Niomi from its position, and the girl watched with wonder from below. Zhale then closed his open hand, and the man's head collapsed on itself with an audible crack. The body fell to the ground, its head now a bloodied mess.

"Didn't you hear my warning? You could have very well died right there!" Zhale snapped at the girl.

"I'm sorry, Master Zhale..." Niomi said quietly as she bowed her head in shame.

"You're always being so careless! You won't be alive for long if you keep this behavior up!"

Niomi said nothing as she began to weep. Zhale shook his head at the bipolar girl's mood swings. It was certainly a hassle traveling around with this girl, but her abilities certainly had merit if they could be trained properly.

"So... where are they?" she asked through tears.

"Let me see..." he said as he closed his eyes and began to focus. It wasn't long before he opened his eyes. He turned to her with a grin on his face, "It seems they've detected us first. It won't be long before they're here."

Niomi began laughing as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Good! I can't wait to get back at that _son of a bitch!_" she shouted, her cheerfulness quickly fading away to anger.

"Save your anger for the fight. You don't want to injure yourself now, do you?" Zhale asked.

Niomi took a deep breath and responded to Zhale by shaking her head several times, her pigtails flopping about as she did so.

"Good. Fortunately, you won't have to wait long... they should be here very soon."

And as Zhale said that, a cloaked woman and a strong man holding a massive sword emerged from the darkness of the night.

"Just who are you two?" Kenokami growled as he eyed the two. He had only focused on Zhale, so when he saw Niomi, his eyes widened and his skin paled.

"Y-YOU!" he shouted as he pointed at Niomi.

"Hi, Kenny! It's been a while!" Niomi said with a smile, but the venom was able to be heard in her voice.

"Is she the girl?" Reiko asked. Kenokami simply nodded.

"Well, let's stop wasting time here. Akatsuki has given us a generous offer. If we can retrieve your rings, kill The Necromancer, and take the jinchuuriki in alive... then we can join their ranks," Zhale said, "and that is precisely what is about to happen."

Niomi looked like an innocent child looking up to a parent as she asked Zhale, "Can I?" Zhale nodded. Niomi then turned her gaze to Kenokami and Reiko, a large sinister smile spread across her face.

"It's going to be _great_ seeing you die!" she laughed as she reached into a pouch on the belt around her waist. She pulled out two oval-shaped objects with circular pins. She pulled the pins off with her teeth, and spat them to the ground as she tossed the small bombs at Kenokami and Reiko.

"Niomi is an explosives expert! Get down!" Kenokami warned as he ducked down and used his massive sword as a shield from the blast. Reiko complied, and the two bombs exploded in mid-air, the shrapnel either missing the two or bouncing off against Kenokami's sword.

Kenokami moved his sword just in time to see a small wall of earth sink back into the ground, revealing an uninjured Niomi behind it. Three more grenades were held in her hands, and the pins were quickly moved. This time, she threw one directly towards Kenokami and Reiko while throwing the other two at their sides.

"This is child's play," Reiko said as she made a single seal and thrust her palms outward. A gust of wind pushed the grenades back towards Niomi, and Kenokami once more used his massive sword as a shield. Reiko ducked down just in time as the three bombs exploded. Before she could react again, Kenokami stood up and rushed forward. He crashed through the wall and tackled Niomi to the ground, his hand sharply gripping her throat.

"Fuck... you..." Niomi said, her voice hoarse from the pressure put on her neck.

"Forgetting about someone, Wolf?" Zhale asked as he thrust his palm forward. An invisible force slammed into Kenokami's side, sending him rolling backward. Niomi coughed as she stood up, and Zhale looked down at her.

"Let me play with them for now. If they are too boring, then you can take over, okay?" Zhale asked with a pleasant grin.

"Okie dokie!" Niomi giggled as she skipped over to a nearby bench and sat down. She rested her head on her hands as she dangled her legs to and fro. She began humming a tune as she eagerly watched the fight.

"You sure are arrogant," Reiko said as she pushed the buttons that triggered her wristblades. The swords slid out of the device on her wrists, already coated in the liquefied version of the zombie jutsu. The only way to get rid of pursuers such as this man for certain was to end their lives sometime after their likely retreat. She had faced several opponents like that in the past... their arrogance was unmatched until she made her move. After that, they slipped past her grasp and ran off, only to return later to pester her again. That wouldn't happen this time.

"What's the matter? Why are you two just standing there? Go on... hit me with your strongest attack," Zhale taunted.

"Gladly!" Kenokami roared as he stood himself up and charged forward, swinging his huge sword in an overhead smash at Zhale. The blade bounced away a few inches from Zhale, a faint blue disk briefly visible where the sword impacted before it vanished.

"Come on!" Zhale yelled, "_That_ was your strongest attack? It didn't even break my shield!"

"Just what kind of powers do you have?" Kenokami growled as he took a few steps away from the spectacled man.

"I am the Chosen of the Sen-Long; the seventh son of a seventh son. Such prestigious heritage has given me awesome power known to no man before me!" Zhale boasted triumphantly.

"It's Yang chakra, isn't it," Reiko said bluntly, "Yang chakra enhancing your mind's power."

"Well, you're quite smart and perceptive... or maybe just a lucky guesser. But none of that matters in the end- you will be unable to injure me, and your rings shall be mine!"

"Shut up. I'm tired of hearing you speak. I think I'll break your jaw to keep you from talking," Reiko growled as she extended her arm, the palm of that arm facing upward. A glowing orb of flame-like chakra appeared in the middle of her hand, its luminosity increasing as the flaming energy became more potent and electricity began to crackle around it. A great wind picked up as the air began spiraling around the jutsu in Reiko's hands... her strongest technique, Kushinada.

"Impressive. Few are able to synthesize elements like that," Zhale said.

"I said STOP TALKING!" Reiko yelled as she hurled the mighty technique at Zhale. It made contact with something, as it exploded into a large dome of energy. Lots of dust was kicked up by the explosion, but it quickly cleared revealing that Zhale was unharmed.

"I'm impressed," Zhale said as he pushed his glasses back up to his face, "That ripped straight through my shield. I almost didn't make it... but my shield has now reformed, and I don't think you can simply use that again."

Reiko gritted her teeth. She wasted all of that chakra for nothing!

"Kenokami, do you think you can shatter his shield?" she asked him. Kenokami raised an eyebrow at her comment. Why would she ask something like that?

"Of course I-" he began.

"I wouldn't bother," Zhale said, cutting him off. "That last attack was so pathetic. I doubt he can do anything other than nick my barrier."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Kenokami roared. Reiko couldn't help but smile at the predictable behaviors of the two men. For once, Kenokami's short temper would be a good thing...

"I can see The Necromancer being a threat to a village... but you? Don't make me laugh. You're just a brainless savage; a grunt only useful as muscle and a bodyguard. You'd be easily expendable, Wolf, if not for the beast inside of you. You'd be nothing without it, Wolf, as evidenced by me calling you that. Do you understand? The only redeeming quality about your existence is that wolf inside of you. That is the only reason people associate with you!" Zhale said with mocking laughter.

Kenokami let loose a roar of primal fury as white chakra exploded out of his body. The aura of bright chakra quickly calmed down and assumed a controlled lupine shape as a single tail formed behind Kenokami. The air around the tail then began to swirl around it at high speeds, enveloping it in a visible distortion of air.

"This is going just as I planned," Reiko sighed. "You really don't know how to control your tongue, do you? Don't worry; I'm sure Kenokami will cut it out."

"That, and more," Kenokami growled as he held Garm out in front of him in an offensive stance. Similar to the lone tail whipping about behind him, the blade of the sword became surrounded by spinning air.

_Interesting... I thought he would enter an animalistic state once he tapped into his bijuu's power like Yugito... but he seems to be able to still fight with his blades like Bee,_ Zhale thought.

Kenokami swung his sword, sending forth a visible distortion of air that flew towards Zhale. It slammed into his shield, making a visible crack in it.

"Just a scratch? You're really disappointing..." Zhale said as he shook his head.

"Really now?" Reiko asked from behind him. Zhale's eyes widened in shock as he turned around to see one of Reiko's hands surrounded by lightning chakra. She slammed her palm against his shield, sending a powerful surge of electricity all throughout his psionic shield, shattering it.

Zhale heard Kenokami swing his large sword once again, but his shocked expression was replaced with a grin. Before the attack connected, the ground beneath Zhale's feet rose up and blocked the attack.

"What!" Reiko exclaimed with shock as Zhale turned around and thrust his palm forward, causing a massive fireball to form and launch forward.

"The five elements are mine to control, and I don't need to use any hand seals at all!" Zhale laughed as a blue shimmer was visible around him.

"Damn him... he reformed his shield," Reiko said. She escaped the attack by using Ame-no-Nuhoko.

Kenokami growled as another tail of white chakra appeared behind him. This tail quickly burst aflame, and the aura of chakra around him began to flicker like flames. Air swirled around his sword once again as he swung it, but this time the ground behind the blade of air bust aflame. It made a large explosion once it connected with Zhale's shield.

Kenokami smiled at the result of his attack: Zhale crumpled on the ground, several wounds caused by the explosion.

"So much for talking big back then," Kenokami said. "I'm pretty sure I got you figured out. You're nothing in combat without that shield of yours. Once it's shattered, you're as good as done if someone can get a blow in."

"That's incorrect," Zhale said in a strained voice as he shakily stood himself up. "These wounds aren't anything I can't manage. Niomi! Get over here!"

Niomi nodded as she got up and ran to Zhale's side. She reached into one of the many pouches on her belt, but she stopped when she heard an unfamiliar voice speak.

"Hey, what's all the commotion about?"

The four turned towards the source of the sound to see a man with long black hair lounging on the roof of a building. To Kenokami and Reiko, the Sound forehead protector worn as a blindfold was something that was all too familiar.

"Otoshi!" Kenokami growled, "What the fuck do you want?"

"Whoa! What did I do to become so unliked?" he asked as he jumped down from the roof and walked towards the four combatants. "All I did was hear some noise... so I decided to join in on the fun."

"Get out of here. This doesn't concern you, insect!" Zhale spat as he caused several bolts of electricity to fire from his hand. Otoshi vanished and reappeared behind Zhale, one of his swords out of its scabbard.

"H-How?" Zhale asked with shock as his shield shattered. If that man wanted to, he could have cut him down. Why didn't he? It quickly clicked in Zhale's head: that man was challenging him.

"Niomi... you can play with The Wolf and The Necromancer. That man is mine," Zhale said.

"Oh no you don't!" Kenokami growled as he prepared to attack Zhale.

"Attacking my opponent will force me to take action against you," Otoshi said, "and I strongly advise against that."

"Fuck you!" Kenokami yelled as he prepared to swing his sword once more. All of a sudden Otoshi was right in front of him, his katana against his neck. He wasn't this fast before... had he been holding back the entire time?

Reiko silently moved towards Otoshi as she prepared to sneak attack him, but the blind swordsman turned towards her with a mocking grin.

"If you're trying to sneak up on me, then that was a pathetic attempt," he said. "Come on, pals, why don't you let me take him on? I'm doing you a favor, after all. I'm taking an opponent off of your hands."

Before either of them could say anything, Otoshi was suddenly yanked towards Zhale's direction. It seemed that he had grown impatient of waiting for an opponent, as he quickly moved away, as did Otoshi, who was dragged behind him.

"Those fucking bastards..." Kenokami growled.

"Don't worry, Kenny! You have me to play with now!" Niomi exclaimed cheerfully, her eyes closed as she gave a bright smile that showed her teeth. She then gritted her teeth together as her eyes opened, revealing a glare of primal rage.

"AND I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR LEAVING ME!" she shrieked.

"Back down," Kenokami growled, "Can't you see that I have two tails of the Five-Tailed Wolf? I suggest you run away before you get killed."

Niomi didn't listen as she produced more grenades from her pouches of explosives. Just how many bombs did she have in there? She pulled the pins of and threw them at Kenokami and Reiko, but Reiko simply made two air cutters that harmlessly sliced them in two.

"You're pathetic. Get out of here, girl," Reiko said with contempt.

"SHUT UP, BITCH! YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME!" she screamed as she pulled out a scroll. She unfurled it, and with a single swing, hundreds of active bombs were summoned in the area, and all of them were rushing towards Kenokami and Reiko.

"What!" Reiko exclaimed in shock. Kenokami quickly moved in front of her and shielded her from all of the bombs exploding. The shrapnel of the explosives bombarded against his skin, but his wounds quickly closed themselves because of his tailed beast's power. Lots of smoke was produced by the blasts, obscuring their vision of Niomi.

The girl stepped out of the cloud of smoke, giggling madly as blood dripped down from several cuts on her skin.

"You didn't even shield yourself?" Kenokami asked with bewilderment.

"Nope!" Niomi giggled madly, "Y'wanna know why?"

"Don't tell me..."

Niomi dipped some of her fingers inside of a deep cut on her left arm. She withdrew her fingers, which were now drenched with deep crimson blood. With surprising speed, she ran up to Kenokami and flicked some blood onto his chest. She leaped over him with a flip and touched Reiko's cloak before running around the two to stand in the area where she was previously. As she ran to that location, she clapped her hands together.

The blood on Kenokami's chest began to boil as it ate through his clothing and touched his skin. As soon as that happened, it exploded. Kenokami roared in pain as a large wound opened up from the blast. Reiko, seeing this result, quickly removed her cloak and tossed it away. Fortunately the boiling blood had not eaten through her cloak yet.

"You... you managed to learn to use your clan's kekkei genkai?" Kenokami asked with labored breaths as the large wound on his chest gradually closed.

"Mm-hmm!" Niomi exclaimed with a nod, "With a clap, I can make any amount of my blood _really_ hot! Not only that, my chakra makes it act as a bomb, too! Once the blood hits human skin... boom!"

She began laughing with both glee and madness as she picked up a sharp piece of shrapnel next to her feet. She plunged the metal fragment into her right arm and slowly dragged it downward, opening a large and horrific wound on her arm. Despite this, her expression showed that she was feeling great pleasure from mutilating herself.

Without warning, she removed the piece of metal and hurled it at Kenokami, clapping while it was in midair. The blood on the metal splashed outward as it was heated to immense temperatures, and several droplets of it hit the exposed area on his chest, causing his chest to explode once more.

He continued to stand in front of Reiko, shielding her from any explosives. He then saw Niomi right in front of him, her right hand completely covered in blood that dripped down from the wound she created. She then slapped Kenokami in random places. He tried grabbing her, but she was far too lithe. She jumped on his arm when it lunged at her, ran up his arm and jumped off of his shoulder to land behind him. Reiko tried to attack her with her wristblades, but Niomi was just too fast. The girl slapped Reiko in various spots on her chest before jumping away from them. She grinned deviously as she clapped her hands together.

The bloody hand marks on Kenokami and Reiko quickly ate through their clothing. When the scalding liquid touched their skin, it exploded. Reiko was hurled in one direction due to all of the bloody prints on her being on her chest. Kenokami got a brief glimpse of her body, and her condition didn't look good at all. Burn marks and several wounds were all over Reiko's exposed chest.

"You... you FUCKING BITCH!" Kenokami howled as he swung his sword several times, sending several blades of air rushing towards her. Niomi's eyes widened, for she saw no way to dodge the several attacks. One of them slammed into her, burning her and knocking her back into a building. She crashed against the wall and slumped to the ground.

Kenokami paid no mind to his ex-girlfriend as he ran over to Reiko and cradled her in his arms. He bit his lip as he saw up close that her wounds were beyond his very limited knowledge on how to heal someone. What was he going to do? Was Reiko going to die here? No... she couldn't! He didn't want to be alone!

To his surprise, he saw the white chakra surrounding him seep into Reiko's wounds. The lupine aura around him transferred over to Reiko, covering her whole body. To his amazement, Kenokami saw her open wounds slowly close and her burned flesh slowly return to normal.

Did the Five-Tailed Wolf do this? Or did his concern for her somehow transfer his regeneration powers to her? He didn't know the answer, but he was immensely relieved that Reiko was going to be okay. For now, he had to retreat. He wanted to confront Zhale and Otoshi, but there was no way he was going to leave Reiko's body unattended.

He walked over to her cloak and picked it up. No traces of Niomi's blood were on it, save for the hole in one area signifying that it had been there once. He covered up her exposed chest with her cloak and then picked her up as he carried her back to the tower they observed the village from.

He didn't want to admit it, but he hoped that Otoshi won against Zhale. Someone as wishy-washy as him would probably leave them alone after his victory. If Zhale won, he would surely go after them again... and he wasn't sure if he could defeat him by himself.

Once he arrived at the top of their tower, he laid Reiko down on a bed by one of the windows and sat down next to her. Looking out of this window he could see Otoshi and Zhale fighting each other in the distance.

"Don't worry, Reiko..." he said softly to the unconscious woman beside him, "I'll protect you."

* * *

Otoshi darted forward to attack Zhale, but the psychic simply extended his palm towards Otoshi, who was pushed back by an invisible force.

"I expected far more from you, but all you seem to want to do is keep me at bay. Afraid I'll cut through that barrier of yours?" Otoshi mocked.

"I know better than to underestimate you. I don't believe you are blind, either," Zhale said.

"Finally, someone who treats me like a competent fighter. Thank you," Otoshi said, "but I must add that I am, indeed, blind."

While he had been talking, he made some hand seals. Zhale, of course, had noticed; but that was his intention. Otoshi sank into his shadow, causing Zhale to gasp in shock. He sensed the position of the blind swordsman... he was moving to his shadow.

Sure enough, Otoshi emerged from Zhale's shadow, sword prepared to strike. Zhale simply pushed him back once more, briefly taking his barrier down so Otoshi wouldn't crash against the walls of it.

"It will take more than that to take down the Chosen of the Sen-Long!" Zhale boasted.

"Chosen, eh? I do believe that title was on his list of kekkei genkai to obtain," Otoshi said.

"You were close enough to Orochimaru to know such information?" Zhale asked.

"Unfortunately."

Otoshi was suddenly thrown up into the air, an invisible grip felt on his neck. He began clawing at his neck as his legs dangled in the air.

"W-What?" Otoshi asked with a strained voice as the invisible grip tightened.

Zhale grinned as he walked towards Otoshi, "I don't even think that snake could have defeated me. My powers transcend shinobi!"

"Zhale!" a woman's voice exclaimed. Zhale turned towards the voice to see Konan materializing nearby.

"Otoshi is not your target! Stand down at once!" Konan commanded.

The brief surprise that Zhale showed weakened the grip he had on Otoshi, which was just enough for him to worm out of the invisible force holding him up.

"He challenged me!" Zhale retorted, "Besides, Niomi is taking care of The Wolf and The Necromancer as we speak."

"Oh, you mean the dying girl lying in a pool of her own blood?" Konan asked coldly, "You have neglected your orders, Zhale. Take the girl and be gone."

Zhale growled at Konan. This was humiliating! But there was nothing he could do but heed her orders... Niomi was still a viable asset, and if he disobeyed Konan then his chances of getting into Akatsuki in the future were nil.

"I'm too rusty," Zhale said as he made a final retort to Otoshi, "Just wait until we meet again!" With those words, Zhale ran off.

"Otoshi... you have deserted Akatsuki. Your head will be mine for transgressing our organization," Konan said.

"My, _everyone's_ after me, aren't they?" Otoshi asked with excitement.

Remaining silent, Konan raised an arm and pointed it at Otoshi. The bottom edge of her Akatsuki cloak turned into several separate sheets of paper that floated up and spiraled into the shape of sharp javelins. As soon as they assumed this shape, they rocketed towards Otoshi, who easily dodged them.

"Come now, you thought I didn't hear those approaching?" Otoshi asked.

"Of course. Because you didn't," Konan remarked as Otoshi grunted from several paper shuriken hitting his back. The spears had reformed themselves into shuriken when they missed and moved towards Otoshi yet again.

"Huh... that's neat how you can control these so well."

"That's not all, either," Konan said as the paper shuriken unfolded into sheets of paper that then began encroaching the left side of Otoshi's body. Otoshi struggled against the papers, but Konan was remarkable at altering their properties, so it was futile. But he did have a method of escape... the seldom-used katana at his right side. He unsheathed it with his free arm and delivered a cut to the swallowing paper, splitting it down the middle and freeing him.

"What!" Konan exclaimed with shock. "There was no way a sword could have cut through my paper!"

"It will all make sense if you look at the symbol right here," Otoshi said with a grin as he held up the blade of the katana. At the base of the pristine sword was a symbol of three tomoe surrounding a paper fan.

"...Juuchi Yosamu," Konan breathed, "but that blade was lost at the Valley of the End!"

"And Orochimaru found it and gave it to me as a gift. I'm certainly glad he did, because I found out that this sword is even more powerful than it seems. Able to cut through nearly anything, the most efficient weapon for channeling chakra flow, and this..."

Otoshi made a one-handed seal, making Konan's eyes widen in shock. The blade of Juuchi Yosamu glowed a bright red before it burst aflame.

"Notice how I can't use fire chakra? And yet this sword grants me the ability to use all five elements. Pretty nifty, if you ask me. Now kindly die," Otoshi said as he charged at Konan.

Konan narrowed her eyes and formed a wall of paper that Otoshi effortlessly cut through. Konan held up both of her arms to defend against Otoshi, several sheets of paper forming around them for defense, but the blade was easily able to slice through. Konan quickly transformed her arms into paper and separated them from the paper gauntlets so she could escape. She planted a few explosive tags in the gauntlets, so they exploded and sent Otoshi flying back.

And as Otoshi landed, thousands of paper needles were accelerating towards his position. Otoshi sank into his shadow and shortly after emerged out of Konan's shadow. But she had been expecting that, and quickly formed a paper dome around her shadow as soon as Otoshi started to emerge from it. Before he could realize what was going on, she made several spikes form on the inside of the dome and shrank it down so he would be pierced from all directions.

"That one almost got me," Otoshi said with a chuckle as he emerged from the bifurcated paper dome. "You know, you're a lot tougher than I thought you would be."

"So says most other shinobi I fight before my victory," Konan said stoically.

Otoshi shook his head and clicked his tongue as he mockingly waved a finger at Konan, "That's not how you taunt someone. See, you said 'most other shinobi.' I don't fall in that category."

"Cease your incessant rambling and kindly die," Konan said as she formed five other paper clones that all created many paper spears. The clones surrounded Otoshi, and Konan also scattered paper all over the ground, giving Otoshi no safe haven. If he tried attacking a clone, she would detonate the explosive tags hidden inside of them. If he stood there, he would no doubt get pierced by many paper spears. If he tried to escape in the shadows, then he would emerge right on top of paper that she could then manipulate to either ensnare or injure him.

"I don't think so," Otoshi said with a grin as he dashed forward and delivered a deep gash across Konan's chest. The heat of the blade cauterized it in an open state as soon as it passed through her body, also giving deadly burns on her insides. All of the paper vanished as the wounded and surprised Konan slumped to the ground.

"I commend your control of the battlefield, but it isn't enough," Otoshi said as the flames around the blade extinguished. He whirled it around a bit before sheathing it. "You were a good challenge, but it wasn't enough to defeat me. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Otoshi walked away from Konan, leaving the injured woman there to die.

"N-no..." she said weakly, "...not like this."

Her body split apart into several paper butterflies that struggled to fly. The swarm of paper managed to fly over the gates of Konoha and continue to a tree on top of a forested mountain nearby the village. They flew inside of the tree, which was actually a large construct made out of her paper. The butterflies all collapsed to the ground a bit of the ways inside of the fake tree, and they transformed back into Konan.

"Nagato..." she cried out weakly.

"Konan! What happened? No, never mind! Don't speak!" Nagato cried out in worry from his mechanical walker. He detached himself from the device, pulling himself out of the many chakra receivers implanted in his back. He rushed over to Konan and looked down at the wound with fright.

"Please... help..." she said, her voice almost inaudible.

"Don't worry!" Nagato shouted as he hovered his hands over her wound. It took a lot of chakra, but he successfully managed to treat her internal burns as well as the large and deep cut across her chest. The process caused Konan to fall into unconsciousness, so Nagato laid her body on the most comfortable surface he could find inside of this constructed outpost.

"We were going to attack them tonight, but it seems that I must wait now. I will not act without you at my side, Konan..." Nagato said as he stroked her cheek. He stood up and walked back over to his mechanical walker and sat down on it. This time, the chakra receivers remained in their positions. Nagato glanced over towards the six bodies inside of six capsules. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The process of controlling all six of the paths was always an incredibly painful and exhausting one that drained his nutrients until he was little more than a husk. But to defeat the three rogue Akatsuki and capture the Five-Tails and Nine-Tails, it was necessary to utilize all six of the paths.

"I will wait tonight... but tomorrow, they shall feel God's wrath..."

* * *

Jiraiya was incredibly frustrated with the amount of time it took him to reach Konoha. It was now night, and the sun was high in the sky when he started moving towards the village. What if everyone inside was doomed? No... he couldn't think like that!

"I just hope I'm not too late..." he said lowly to himself as he continued leaping from tree to tree. When the gates of Konoha were in view, he picked up his already brisk pace. He only stopped because a message caught his eyes: a large message in ink plastered on the left side of the gates.

"'To the Sunagakure reinforcements: we are barricaded inside the Administration Building. Nowhere else is safe,'" Jiraiya read aloud. Reading this gave him mixed emotions. On one hand, there were still people alive, and Tsunade was likely among them. They had contacted the Sand; help was on its way. But if nowhere else was safe, then that meant the casualties were astronomical... Konoha had become the second village of the dead.

Well there was no sense delaying things. He had seen enough atrocities in his life to the point that they barely hampered his actions. They certainly troubled his mind, though. He tried his best to ignore all of the undead as he leaped from roof to roof on his way to the Administration Building.

To his mild surprise, there weren't any undead around the government building, whether they were dead or still walking. He jumped down from the roof of the building and ran towards the door and tried to open it.

"That doesn't feel locked... so they barricaded it," he mumbled. He could knock on the door and shout for someone to open up, but that might attract the undead. It would be better to scout around for any other entrances.

But as he did so, he realized that the group inside of the building had been very thorough with the barricading process. All of the entrances and exits had been sealed off, except for those on the left and right wings. That was incredibly suspicious to Jiraiya, who assumed that they simply didn't have enough people to make those wings necessary to inhabit. So his options were to enter through one of the windows on the left or right wings and bust down the likely barricade that sealed off those areas of the building, knock and call for someone and possible attract the undead, or enter through a window not on the first floor.

Jiraiya returned to the roof of the closet building that wasn't parallel to the Administration Building. With a running start, he jumped off of the roof, soared quite a few yards in the air, and crashed through a window on the third floor. He stood himself up and dusted off of his clothes with his hands. Shortly after, the door to the room he was standing in swung open.

"What's going on?" Tsunade asked fiercely.

"Oh. Hey," Jiraiya said nonchalantly with a small wave as he smiled at Tsunade.

A weight seemed to be lifted off of Tsunade as her expression brightened up. "Jiraiya! Thank goodness you're okay!" she exclaimed as she ran forward and hugged him. He hugged her back, and the short embrace was soon broken.

"What in the hell happened to this place?" Jiraiya asked her. "I got an emergency call from one of my small toads stationed here earlier today. Is that how long this has been going on?"

Tsunade sighed sadly as she placed her hand on her forehead. "It's a _long_ story... follow me."

She left the room, and Jiraiya followed, closing the door behind him. The two went into Tsunade's office, and she sat down at her desk. Jiraiya sat down on a chair facing the desk and eagerly awaited Tsunade's report.

"I was here early in the morning, receiving various reports of distress amongst the villagers. None of them were confirmed until I tried healing a wounded girl outside and she turned on me. Everything was so chaotic at that point. I couldn't contact anyone because communications had been cut, and I sent the ANBU on a mission that they and I knew was suicide. But things were soon made clear when Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura showed up," she explained. "Naruto had been attacked by an Akatsuki member early in the morning when he went to rescue Sakura," she added, pausing after for she knew Jiraiya would interrupt her at that point.

"Akatsuki's behind this? That's insane!" he exclaimed.

"Not exactly... this man and his partner went rogue. I know not why, but they targeted this village with the terrible plague that creates these monsters. They have extensive knowledge of the layout of our village, for they got to the Barrier Team, cut the power, and sabotaged the generator in the hospital. They are also the likely culprits that disabled our communications. We delivered Sunagakure a request for help with a messenger bird, and we're assuming they're on their way."

"That's good... do you know anything about the rogue Akatsuki?"

"Plenty... we've had several encounters with them. The one that Naruto encountered first is a man named Kenokami. He is an expert swordsman and incredibly strong. He is the jinchuuriki of the Five-Tailed Wolf, and this possesses its regeneration powers. His senior partner is the woman that started all of this. Jiraiya, do you remember back to that day twenty years ago? Do you remember the only survivor? That small child whose mind had been shattered with what she had seen?"

"Don't tell me..." Jiraiya said with wide eyes.

"Yes. She is the one behind all of this. Her name is Reiko Uchiha, and she was kidnapped from the clan before the massacre. She has a Mangekyo Sharingan and is incredibly dangerous."

"But why? What would be the reason for doing this to our village?" Jiraiya asked through clenched teeth.

"Who knows what an insane mind thinks. But I do have a theory on one reason she did this. It was to draw out Madara. We all know he caused that event twenty years ago... I think he spared that girl on purpose. Whatever he did worked, because she used his jutsu to contaminate our village and draw him out. I fought him earlier today... he's not dead, but he's wounded and recovering. I told my group not to pursue him... he can come to us first."

"So that _was_ Madara... I was attacked by him earlier on my way here," Jiraiya said with concern. "What the hell does that phantom want?"

"I don't know. And if those three weren't trouble enough, there's a third rogue Akatsuki. This one, as far as we know, delights in causing chaos. He's not with Kenokami and Reiko, which means we probably went rogue just to track them down and kill them. If that's the case, then he lives for the thrill of battle and likely betrayed Akatsuki just so they could hunt him down."

"Damn it all... this situation is terrible!" Jiraiya swore.

"Tell me about it," Tsunade sighed. "But I'm glad that you're here. Right now we're just waiting for the reinforcements to arrive... we've cleaned out this entire building of those undead bastards. It's completely safe."

"So I could tell. It took me a bit to figure out a way in here," Jiraiya said. "And once the reinforcements arrive?"

"At that point, we're going to reclaim our village," Tsunade said with a fiery determination in her eyes.

"Sounds good. I hate to ask this next question, but... who's all that's left?"

"Oh..." Tsunade said sadly as she glanced at the floor, "Our group has had two deaths so far. Kakashi and Shino died. As for our group... we are the only survivors that we're aware of in the entire village. Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Yamato, Hinata, Neji, Hanabi, Kiba, Shikamaru, Kurenai, Lee, Guy, Tenten, Genma, Ibiki, a woman named Julia, and two medic-nin twins: Ken and Megumi. That's all who is left."

"Is that all?" Jiraiya asked sternly.

"Yes," Tsunade said with a nod.

"Hmm... are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Tsunade exclaimed with mild confusion.

"You're wrong. I don't think you've had only two deaths. You didn't mention Shizune at all during our entire conversation."

Tsunade's mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. She closed her mouth and tightly gripped her desk as a small whimper was heard. Her eyes began to water, shortly after producing a steady stream of tears.

Jiraiya stood up from his chair and walked over to her. Tsunade stood up and grabbed Jiraiya and cried into his chest. Jiraiya could think of nothing to say. He knew how important Shizune was to her.

After several minutes passed, Tsunade lightly pushed Jiraiya away and wiped her eyes.

"Come on," she said quietly. "The others need to know you're here..."

* * *

Jiraiya was careful to not attract the attention of the undead when he entered the Administration, but he failed to take notice of the two large white birds far above.

"Well, well... seems the remaining Sannin are in that building," Deidara said as he watched Jiraiya enter with the scope over his eyes.

"Are we gonna kill 'em?" Tobi asked Deidara with concern.

"Hmm... I'm not sure. We _were_ assigned to take down those filthy traitors, but I haven't seen them at all. I think I'll sleep on it. I'm quite tired from flying all day, yeah. If I decide to take them on, it's no problem. That building might be safe, but it also traps them inside of it. Let's find some place to crash for the night..."

The two birds flew away from the village and faded away in the night sky. Tonight would be a night of peace for all sides in this twisted battle...


	14. A Flame Extinguished

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 14:

_"Awaken..." I heard a deep voice announce._

_A flood of experiences entered my mind as I heard this message. The feeling of laying on a flat surface, the sensation of breathing, the movements of the body, and the beating of a heart were all new experiences. Before there was nothing, and now there was something. What was happening? What are these thoughts, these sensations, and these feelings? Who was speaking... and who was I?_

_For an unknown reason, I was compelled to open my eyes. I could see nothing but a blurry gray mess. I then realized that ever since my awakening, information had been bombarding my mind. Walking, talking, words, movement, definitions, and much more were all steadily entering my brain._

_"Can you hear me?" the voice asked again. By the sound of it, it belonged to a middle-aged male human. Now I needed to respond, to form words, to speak. I moved my mouth into different shapes, getting used to the formations needed to speak, as well as the presence of the tongue._

_"Affirmative," I responded. My voice sounded different than his, but it was also that of a middle-aged male human. This man might know who I am... I could not hesitate in asking him that._

_"What exactly am I?" I asked. I still could not make out anything with my eyes, but I could feel them moving. This... this was not correct. My eyes were open, and they are there to give animals vision. I lacked vision._

_"You? You are my newest success!" the man exclaimed in a proud tone. "I am your creator!"_

_Creator... one who creates. To create is to invent or bring into existence. Then... this man... he was my father? Or was he a god? How can words have multiple meanings? The language of humans... it contained so many contradictions. What was I? Human infants never learned this much information so quickly. As far as I could tell, I had been alive for less than a minute, and already I had the knowledge of several decades worth of living._

_"What is your name? What am I?" I proposed. I needed to know the answers about my condition, about why I am living now. This man... my father, likely knew the answers._

_"My name is Orochimaru. And as I said, you are my creation," the man said. A name is what a human is known by... did I have a name? I had not been called anything other than a creation yet._

_"Why can I not see?" I asked._

_"My, you're full of questions, aren't you? I suppose it's to be expected."_

_"Affirmative."_

_"There's no need to keep saying that," he said, his voice getting closer. I then felt the unusual experience of his hands touching my face. He lightly grabbed my chin and made my head move vertically up and down. "That is nodding. It means the same thing as 'affirmative.'"_

_What? How can a movement of the body be interpreted as a word? The very thought was baffling, yet I knew what it was called. Body language... humans could communicate in this manner?_

_"As for why you can't see," Orochimaru continued as he removed his hands from his face. I heard his voice change as presumably he looked away from me. His footsteps showed that he took a few paces away from me. Even though I could not see, it seemed as though I still had methods to know where both I and others were located. "It is because I unfortunately failed to give you vision. But you are the first one to have worked, so I will keep you."_

_The first one? There were others before me? The way he spoke made it seem as though I was a lowly life form._

_"Are you a god?" This question elicited a chuckle from him. He was amused by my question._

_"Not really, but you can certainly say I strive to be one," he said. So then he was a human that wanted to be a god?_

_"Then you are my father?"_

_"I suppose so."_

_"Am I human, then? Humans have names... do I have a name?"_

_"You are not human, but you are close enough. If you wish to have a name, then I will give you one. Your name is... Otoshi. A fitting name."_

_Otoshi... "oto" meant "sound" and "shi" most likely meant "death"... "sound-death?"_

_"Why is this my name?" I asked. The connotations did not seem good... I was not deaf, nor was my voice loud enough to make others deaf. That made my name even more mysterious in its meaning._

_"You are named Otoshi because you dwell within the Hidden Sound Village, which I constructed. You will also bring death to all that oppose me," Orochimaru said with coldness in his voice._

_"Am... I just a weapon?" I asked. The thought was not a pleasing one. Weapons did not need to be sentient... why was I given thought if I was just a tool for killing?_

_"No, not exactly. You are a brilliant creation of mine... to use you just as a weapon will be a waste of your talents. Remember, you are the first of your kind to work. I must teach you things... you must learn. I will guide you and document this process as you mature and develop further. It will be fascinating."_

_Then I am to learn? From the sounds of things, Orochimaru would learn by teaching me things. Unusual, but it is assuring that I am more than just a weapon._

_"Now, grab my hand. I will help you up. I have many things to teach you..."_

* * *

"So... it looks like we're sharing a room..." Naruto said. Both he and Sakura were in a basic office that had been cleaned up and fitted with two beds.

"I really hope that wasn't an attempt at a pickup line," Sakura sighed as she shook her head.

"No! It's nothing like that!" Naruto exclaimed defensively. "It's just... I need someone to talk to. I haven't got any chance to relax my mind and say the things that are worrying me, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. This day has been really hectic..." Sakura said as she sat down on her bed and looked at Naruto, who was opposite her and sitting on his bed.

"'Hectic' sure is an underwhelming word to describe what happened today..." Naruto said lowly. "I don't even know if we can make it out of this okay. We might all be dead soon enough."

"Don't have a negative attitude, Naruto! We're going to survive this! This place is safe, it's secure!" Sakura exclaimed.

"No, Sakura! We don't know if we'll survive!" Naruto said, raising his voice. "We have _no_ idea if we're going to survive! There are four bastards out there trying to kill us all, not to mention the tens of thousands of zombies! If we're to survive, then we have to kill every single one of them! Do you think that's going to happen? Say we do survive; then what will we do? This village will _never_ be the same again! What if we can't prevent this and it spreads? What if it spreads across the whole _world?_ What if it's happening right now and we don't know it? We're in the dark here, Sakura! So many things could be happening right now, and we wouldn't know!"

"N...Naruto..." Sakura said quietly. She was taken aback by his sudden outburst.

"We have no idea if Gaara and the others will arrive safely!" Naruto continued. "For all we know, the Sand village could be just the same as this place by now!"

"Naruto, stop! Please! You're scaring me..." Sakura pleaded. Naruto took a deep breath, sighed, and lied back on his bed.

"I'm sorry, but... fuck if I'm not worried about everything. I can't just get all warm and cozy when we're still threatened..." he said quietly.

"I thought we were okay, but... all of those things you said..." Sakura mumbled.

"I'm really sorry about worrying you," Naruto said as he sat up, "I just needed to get some things off my chest. The odds may be against us, but we've survived so far, right? We'll just have to try our hardest to live and give those bastards what's coming to them!"

"I suppose so..." Sakura said. She then smiled at Naruto and added, "Man, you really need to choose what side of the optimist and pessimist scale you're on."

Naruto chuckled, "I suppose you're right."

Sakura yawned, and Naruto stood up.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"I have to see if Tsunade killed Shizune," Naruto said sternly.

"I see... I have more faith in her than you do, but you've always been suspicious of her activities. I guess old habits die hard..." Sakura said. She yawned again, and added, "Well... be quiet when you return. I'm going to sleep. Good night, Naruto."

"Night," Naruto replied with a yawn as he left the room and turned off the lights. He closed the door quietly behind him and headed for the third floor. Luckily for him, he didn't run into the one of the three that would currently be keeping night watch. He didn't feel like explaining the situation, because that would only draw the attention of more people. To Naruto, this was an issue only between him and Tsunade.

Once he had arrived on the third floor, he made his way over to the interrogation room. He approached the door and apprehensively moved his hand slowly towards the doorknob. He grasped it and slowly turned it, but it would not budge. He jiggled it a few more times, but its immobility made one thing apparent.

_Damn! It's locked!_ Naruto thought. _Is Shizune still in there, then? Did she not kill her? Maybe I can find out..._

Naruto put his ear up against the door and paid close attention as he tried to pick up any sounds from inside of the room. He soon realized that it was futile- the room had been designed to keep sound locked inside of the room. He had no way of knowing if Tsunade killed Shizune or not, and he sure wasn't going to break the door down and cause commotion at this hour.

_I guess I'll have to ask her about it sometime tomorrow..._ he thought as he walked back to his room. He had faith in the Hokage earlier, but now he wasn't too sure. The only reason that the door was locked is if she had something to hide...

As he silently entered his room and slipped in his bed, the troublesome thoughts faded away as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Tsunade was fixing the sheets on her bed in her own room. Fortunately for her, no zombies had got inside of her room, so everything was still clean and neatly ordered. This was quite a relief for the restless Hokage; she felt that she would get a good night's sleep tonight. She considered it cruel to think that way, but the experiences of the day had numbed her ability to feel sadness and pain. All she felt now was fatigue. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said quietly as she resumed fixing her bed.

The door opened and Jiraiya entered the room. Tsunade stopped making her bed and turned around to face her old friend.

"Are you feeling any better?" Jiraiya asked with concern.

Tsunade brushed a hand through her hair and sighed. "I can't really tell at this point. I don't know what I'm feeling and I don't know _what_ I should feel."

"I know what you mean... I'm not sure if it's bad that I'm so stoic about all of this... but you need a level head to live. Come to think of it, I was the same way twenty years ago, wasn't I? Well, after the initial disgust wore off."

"Now's really not the time to bring that up. All I can think of is our attempts to reverse this plague. I can't cure it, that old bat couldn't cure it... not even both of our minds working together could cure it. It's an abomination made to consume all life."

"Don't worry... Madara will pay for this. I'll make sure of it," Jiraiya said with determination.

"I certainly hope so... I'm not even sure both of us together can take him down, if the stories of his battle prowess still hold up today."

Jiraiya remained quiet on that matter. There was an awkward silence, and Jiraiya broke it by saying, "I'm sorry for being so blunt about Shizu-"

"That is also something that really shouldn't be brought up right now," Tsunade snapped. She then glanced down and shook her head. "I apologize... it's just... everything that's happened today... I feel so burdened. All of this responsibility is still on me as Hokage, but I just want to lie down and sleep. I feel ill. All of the deaths today were my fault, Jiraiya! They slipped right under our noses! I let down the entire village!"

"Nobody could have prevented this, Tsunade! You're not letting down anyone! The people here still look up to you! I don't think a single person in this building thinks any less of you... you have done all that you can, and what you've done is a marvelous job."

Tsunade smiled at Jiraiya's words. "Thank you... you have an uncanny knack for cheering me up."

"The best way to a woman's heart is softening it with words," Jiraiya said.

Tsunade scoffed at Jiraiya's comment. "Did you just come up with that?"

"I thought it sounded cool..." Jiraiya grumbled.

"Good to see that you're still the same as ever. Unfortunately for you, so am I."

"Yeah, yeah... won't stop me from trying."

"So, what have you been doing recently?" Tsunade asked, changing the subject. "Before all of this shit happened, that is."

"Actually, I've been looking into Akatsuki. I think I'm close to finding out where their headquarters is located."

"Really now? That's a bit of good news in this sea of black. But at this point Akatsuki is the least of our worries. I think that-" Tsunade began, but she was cut off by a sneeze.

"Are you okay?" Jiraiya asked.

"It's just a sneeze..." Tsunade said as she rolled her eyes. "I don't see how a single sneeze ca-" Another sneeze erupted out from her.

"Come to think of it, you have been sounding a bit stuffy. I think you're coming down with something," Jiraiya said.

"I guess I'm a bit feverish... the stress must be getting to me if I can't quell this with my chakra..." Tsunade said as he walked over to a tissue box and picked one up to blow her nose on.

"Well... I guess I'll let you get a good sleep. See you in the morning," Jiraiya said with a grin as he left the room, turning off the lights and closing the door as he did. Tsunade stood in the dimmed room, a solitary lamp on a nightstand near her bed the only source of light. She stood there, staring at the box of tissues. After a minute had passed, she had determined that Jiraiya was far away to where he wouldn't be able to hear her. Unable to fight what she had been holding back the entire conversation, she fell to her knees and began coughing profusely.

"Damn it... what the hell is wrong with me?" she asked aloud after her coughing fit had ended. She slowly stood up and crawled into bed. Hopefully her sickness wouldn't keep her up at night... she slipped under her covers and pulled the sheets and blankets up to appease her perceived coldness. She turned off the nearby lamp and closed her eyes...

* * *

_I awoke from my slumber, my head throbbing with pain. I instinctively placed my hands on my forehead, their coolness easing the pain somewhat. I sat up in bed to see that the covers had likely been thrown off by fitful tossing around in my sleep. There was also a sense of dread that I realized I had been feeling ever since my awakening. Did I have a bad dream that was past my memory, but still in my system? No... something wasn't right here..._

_It then dawned upon me what was happening. I had fallen asleep in complete darkness. Why, then, was the room illuminated in a faint blue glow? Where was the light coming from? I felt an irresistible urge to investigate. My feet touched the ground as I got off of the bed, but I froze. They had entered something warm and wet. With horror, I gazed down to see... blood. There was blood everywhere. Where had it come from? I noticed that the blood was making a crimson trail that went underneath the door. Was I supposed to follow the blood?_

_Everything felt so surreal as my body slowly began moving forward. With every step, my bare feet basked in the warm liquid. I was terrified, more afraid than I had ever been, but still I moved forward. Aside from the trembling of my body, the rest of it was beyond my control. What was happening?_

_My hand slowly approached the doorknob. I could see that it was shaking, reflecting the trepidation that I felt. My fingers curled around the knob as I turned it and slowly pushed open the door._

_I continued walking at the same slow pace, my feet hitting the blood on the ground with every step. The trail continued down the stairs, and I had no choice but to follow it. As I descended the stairs to the second floor, the ambient light was slowly changing color from its blue hue to a more greenish one. I could feel the iron grip on my body start to fade, but at this point I had to know why there was a trail of blood. I moved quicker as I followed the blood to the second floor. I could already tell where it was leading me based on its path... the first floor._

_As I moved across the second floor, the light began changing to a sickly yellow color. The control over my body was leased more. At this point, I was running down the stairs to the first floor, the light becoming orange now._

_Once I arrived on the first floor, I already knew that the trail of blood was heading towards the lobby. This greatly worried me. My fears that something terrible had happened were escalating every second. I wanted to turn back, to run and hide under the sheets of the bed, but I also needed to know just what the hell was going on._

_I ran along the trail of blood as it led me to the lobby as I had predicted. The orange light was darkening with each step I took, and soon it was a hellish red. The colors were making my head throb, and I felt ill as a noxious odor suddenly wafted into my nose. But still I pressed onward, my fear kept in check by my current investigative nature._

_I stopped as soon as I rounded the corner to the lobby. My jaw dropped as tears instantly began falling from my eyes. No longer did I move. No longer was my curiosity present. All that I felt now was unexplainable terror and sorrow. The horror had seized my body and prevented it from moving. I was to bear witness to the grisly scene before me._

_The corpses of all of the survivors were strewn across the floor, like a child that had grown bored of their toys and tossed them all aside. Blood completely covered the floor, and it was easy to see why. Everyone had been eaten in some way. Severed limbs that had been chewed on lying next to the stump, large chunks of flesh missing from their bodies, exposed entrails hanging from open abdomens. And the stench... it was overwhelming. The stench of blood and death seized control of me, and I vomited on the ground. I stumbled away from the contents of my stomach as my eyes remained fixated on the terrible sight before me. I wanted to run away, to scream and cry, but my body was once again beyond my control._

_It was at this moment that I noticed that there was movement in the room. Hunched down near a body was a woman with blood-matted blonde hair fashioned into two low ponytails. The tattered and torn green robe, the high-heeled sandals... it was unmistakable. No matter how impossible it seemed... that woman was... me._

_My double turned to face me, and I felt a fear that I had never felt before. I thought that I had emptied my stomach earlier, but I vomited again as she stared into my eyes._

_She... it... looked exactly like me, except for the face. That hideous, horrible face. The left half was a spitting copy of my face, but pure white eyes in place of my usual brown. The skin was also a paler and grayer version of mine. The right half, however, was bloody and decomposed, with dark red rot and dark purple bruises in splotches across the gray landscape. The right eye was missing, exposing an empty socket that was slowly bleeding with maggots crawling inside of it. It then opened its mouth, revealing rotting and jagged teeth stained with blood with pieces of flesh caught between them. It got up from the body it had been eating and shambled towards me. The gray blouse it wore had several rips in it, the dirty and matted grayed skin underneath visible with a few wounds from bladed weapons visible in some of the rips. Its belly swelled out of the blouse, as it was likely filled with meat._

_"No! NO! GO AWAY!" I shrieked as I took some steps back. I was truly terrified of this thing._

_It felt as if I could not get any more afraid, but when my decaying double began to chuckle in a sadistic manner, I felt my heart pound against my chest and my stomach twist and turn._

"Why are you so afraid of yourself?" _my own voice answered me from the creature's mouth. No... this was not my voice. This voice was far more vile and malicious._

_"W...what are you talking about?" I replied in a fierce manner as the creature approached closer and closer. No matter how hard I tried, I was frozen in place. My body simply would not respond to what I deeply wished to do, and that was to flee._

"You know what I'm talking about," _the creature spat. _"You were punctured earlier today by that Uchiha woman. You dismissed it as nothing, but deep down you knew that you were doomed."

_No... that wasn't the case. Poison had to have symptoms! There was no way... wait... the sudden illness? No... no... this..._

"I see you realize it now. That poison is, as you truly suspect, the agent that will bring me into reality."

_"No... it isn't true! Go away! Leave me alone!" I sobbed as I managed to free my legs from their paralysis to take a few steps away from the creature._

_The mouth with the rotten teeth moved and formed an incredibly malicious smile as it began to shamble at a faster pace towards me. My pace did not quicken with hers._

"Why should I?"_ it responded._ "You can't run from me."

_I felt my back touch a wall. I slowly turned my head around to see that I was in a corner. There was no escape from my __doppelganger, who continued to approach me._

_I then realized that I had the means to fight back! Courage filled me as I reared an arm back to slug it in the face. If I could kill it, then I could end this horrible nightmare! It lunged at me, and I swung my arm forward with all of my strength. My fist connected right where the Yin Seal on her head was, but she didn't move at all! My fist simply bumped into her head and did nothing else!_

_"How! Y-You're supposed to die!"_

"You don't get it, do you?"_ the creature asked in a mocking tone, her mouth still in the twisted grin. It brushed aside my arm and moved closer and closer to my face. I closed my eyes and cringed with fright._

_I felt her warm, haggard breath on my face. It smelled of the same blood and death that I had gotten used to in this room, but it was intensely focused coming from her mouth. I dry heaved as my stomach tried to empty things that were not there. I opened my eyes and looked at her to see that now she looked exactly like me. Her face was now normal, her teeth a shining white, her skin was healthy light tone. The only difference was that her eyes were still a pure white color, but instead of the soulless feeling that I normally get when looking into a zombie's eyes, these were only filled with malice._

_"Silly Tsunade..." she said, her voice now sounding just like mine in tone, "...we are both one and the same. You cannot kill me, because I am you. You will become one of the dead soon... _YOU ARE INFECTED!"

_Her voice screaming "infected" in her vile tone echoed throughout my mind over and over again. I sank to my knees in despair as I realized the complete and utter truth of her words. There was no point anymore..._

_My double then reverted to her decomposed state as she suddenly lunged forward and sank her teeth into my neck._

* * *

Tsunade shrieked as she snapped awake. She felt her heart pound in her chest as she took rapid breaths. She sat up in her bed and clutched her head in her hands. The events of that terrible nightmare seemed so realistic that she wasn't even sure if she or anyone else in the building were still alive.

Jiraiya suddenly burst in the room, looking panicked.

"What's the matter?" he asked as he caught his breath from the sprinting he did to reach her room quickly. With Jiraiya's presence, all of her worries faded away.

"Just... it was just a terrible bad dream, Jiraiya..." Tsunade said quietly as she took a deep breath and composed herself.

"Okay... well, maybe now you can sleep peacefully. Good night, Tsunade," Jiraiya said as he left the room once more, closing the door behind him.

"Good night, Jiraiya," Tsunade sleepily mumbled as she lied back down and closed her eyes. She then drifted off to sleep once more, unaware of what awaited her...

* * *

Sai's eyes snapped open. Someone had entered his room quietly and closed the door behind them. While it may have been nothing, his lifelong training as a special agent had given him a keen killer instinct.

"Who's there?" he asked aloud as he remained lying down. He knew someone was in here... he could hear them breathing. He slowly began reaching under his bed, where he placed his tanto.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," spoke a male voice beside him. Sai gasped in surprise. There were two people in here? But he hadn't even heard the first one!

"What do you want?" Sai asked fiercely, his arm dangling over his bed. He had stopped moving towards his weapon, but he was prepared to make a sudden dash for it if necessary.

"We know you're passing messages to Danzou," the man said. Sai's eyes widened at this statement. How did he know this information?

"So what if I am?" Sai asked, fully alert now. The room was still shrouded in darkness... he would have to rely on his other senses if he were to be attacked.

"Danzou is an outside force," the intruder said. "He will interfere with our manipulation of you all if he gets involved. So I'm afraid you have to be eliminated to keep him out of this."

"Just try it," Sai said calmly as he made a move for his weapon. He suddenly froze in place. Did one of them just use a paralysis ninjutsu? He tried to move, to struggle against the effects, but he was unable to do so. Was he going to die here?

"You..." Sai said slowly as he managed to move his lips and tongue. "You're the spies that sabotaged the village for the rogue Akatsuki, aren't you?"

"I'm afraid so. But you know too much now. This is nothing personal... rest in peace," said the man. Sai tried as hard as he could to break free of the jutsu, but he was unable to. It looked like this was the end...

A bolt of lightning struck the ground nearby outside, briefly illuminating the entire room. Sai's eyes widened as he got a split-second snapshot of his killer moving to slit his throat with a knife. Of all the people to be a spy...

The clap of thunder followed the lightning just as the fatal wound was delivered. The bolt of lightning triggered the beginning of a storm, and rain began to fall.

"He's dead," said the killer to his accomplice as he removed his fingers from Sai's pulse. "Let's go before the next person in the watch starts their shift."

The two then left the room, leaving behind Sai's body to be discovered in the morning.

* * *

_"Wake up, Honey!" I heard Dan call from downstairs, waking me from my slumber. "If you keep sleeping, you'll miss the eclipse!"_

_I slowly got out of bed and got myself ready for the day. Being the Hokage was a difficult job... Dan was almost always up for a few hours by the time I awoke. It took almost half an hour, but I finished getting ready for the day and walked down the stairs. Based on what I smelled, Dan had cooked brunch for us._

_"Well, you look absolutely divine, as usual!" he exclaimed with a smile._

_"And your brunch smells delicious," I said back._

_"Well, we better hurry... the eclipse is going to start in ten minutes, and we have to get to the roof of the Administration Building by then."_

_"Why so soon and why there?" I asked. That didn't sound like something that was possible at this point._

_"We agreed to meet Shizune and Nawaki there, remember?"_

_"I'm sorry... I don't," I sighed. "Work must be getting to me again."_

_"It's okay. Just enjoy your day off today!" Dan said with a smile. He really was a sweet guy. It took five minutes to finish his delicious brunch... there was no way to get to the roof of the Administration Building by then. He must have sensed my thoughts, because he looked at me with that look he was about to do something reckless._

_"We need to hurry!" he playfully shouted as he grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the house. I initially playfully struggled back, preferring a more conventional travel to the Administration Building, but I soon realized how much fun I was having, and soon both of us were zipping around the village, hopping across rooftops to the bewilderment of the citizens on the streets below. Amazingly enough, we actually made it to the rooftop in the nick of time. We both looked at each other and laughed once we arrived, despite the need for us to catch our breaths._

_"Good morning, Lady Hokage!" Shizune exclaimed as she greeted me._

_"Hey, big sis, you made it!" Nawaki exclaimed as he ran up to me. I ruffled his hair and smiled at him. Something suddenly felt wrong, but I shrugged it off._

_"The eclipse is going to start soon!" Shizune exclaimed. I could tell why she was excited; a complete solar eclipse only happens around here once every few centuries._

_The moon started to move between the sun. As it did, a large shadow began to envelop the village. Eventually the moon had completely moved in front of the sun, which was glowing behind it._

_"It's so cool!" Nawaki exclaimed as he looked through the special glasses to protect his eyes._

_"Breathtaking..." Shizune said with awe._

_"I know something more beautiful than this eclipse," Dan said as he embraced me. I blushed as I looked into his deep green eyes. I felt such warmth and comfort in his embrace... he was such a wonderful man. I then felt his fingers press against my chin and lift my head up. He was moving in for a kiss... I submitted to him, and we locked lips. I closed my eyes as our tongues danced in each other's mouths in a peaceful waltz. I felt tranquility begin to wash over me, but... wait, what was this?_

_I lightly pushed him away from me. Something was definitely wrong here, but what?_

_"Are you alright, Honey?" Dan asked with a bit of confusion._

_"No... this isn't right. This eclipse is too soon. And your ages! Why is Nawaki still twelve? Why are you still young, Dan, if Shizune is a grown woman? What's going on?"_

_"Tsunade, what are you talking about? Everything's normal here!"_

_"Yes, Lady Tsunade, everything is..." Shizune began, but her voice was soon drowned out by an incredibly loud din. I clasped my hands over my ears as I glanced down, but the noise didn't get any quieter. I looked up and saw the three people most important to me looking concerned and asking questions I could not hear. It then came to me: the noise was not uniform. It had a source. I lightly pushed the three away and ran to the edge of the roof and looked down._

_Below, walking towards the Administration Building, was a man garbed in white battle robes. A black cloth was over his face, shielding it from view. In one hand was a very long katana, and it was dragging against the ground, making the grinding noise that currently tormented me. The executioner raised a hand and pointed it at me..._

* * *

Tsunade awoke with a cold sweat. It took her a bit to realize what had happened, but she then recognized that the events that had just occurred were part of a dream. She could swear she heard metal scraping against the ground in the distance, but maybe that sound was still echoing in her head.

The dreams... Tsunade remembered the terrifying first one as if it had just happened. The second one was much more pleasant... at least, before she figured out that it was a dream. She briefly wondered what things would be like if Dan and Nawaki were still alive, but her thoughts kept wandering back to the executioner. What was the point of that showing up in her dream... unless... was the message of the first dream true?

She felt an incredible depression wash over her at this moment. Regardless of whether or not she was infected, the second dream had made her realize that her life would never be that great ever again. She was a failure her entire life... she couldn't protect Nawaki, she couldn't save Dan, she couldn't stop Orochimaru from becoming the monster he is today, and she couldn't save Shizune or protect the village. Everyone said that they needed her to be a strong leader, but she would eventually let them down and fail them in the end. It seemed that she had been right all along... the position of Hokage was just a fool's game.

She got out of bed and turned on her lamp before shuffling over to the bathroom. She turned on the lights and looked in the mirror... she absolutely had to confirm something. She brushed her hair aside to expose a side of her neck, and she turned it so that she could see it in the mirror. There, where she was punctured by Reiko earlier, was a visible darkening of the veins around the area that had been punctured. That all but confirmed it... she was, indeed, infected. Part of her wasn't surprised anymore... the illness and her current feelings that had started earlier today were probably symptoms she overlooked. She didn't want to believe it, because it was incurable. But now she didn't really care.

_I don't want to live anymore..._ she thought. _I'm going to turn soon, and Shizune is the person that saved me from killing myself over Dan's death, just like how he stopped me from taking drastic measures when Nawaki died. She's gone now... the only people left that matter shouldn't see what I'm going to turn into. I need to kill myself before I'm just another undead problem to everybody..._

She slowly walked over to one of her dressers and opened it. She removed a kunai she hid under some clothes just in case. She grasped it in one hand and hovered it over the wrist of her other arm. All she had to do was make a nice, clean cut vertically down the vein in her arm. She would die before the infection could seize her body, and it would soon be over...

Her hand was shaking as she stared at her arm. The image of that vein being cut open entered her head. Blood... so much blood that she could practically smell it now. She couldn't do it. She was still afraid of blood on some level... she only quelled it if she needed to save someone's life.

_I'm weak..._ she thought. _I can overcome my fear to heal people or kill threats, but I can't overcome it to kill myself... I'm weak and pathetic._

Tears began falling from her eyes as her grip on the kunai faltered. The tool dropped to the ground, clattering against it on impact. There was nothing she could do to kill herself now... that was her only chance. Slitting her throat was out of the question, as was jumping out of the window in her room. The only thing she could think of now was to hang herself, but judging by how ill she felt, it was too late for her now. She was going to turn into a zombie soon... she only hoped that whomever discovered her could put her out of her misery at that point.

That noise... metal scraping against the ground. Why could she still hear it? Why was it tormenting her? She then noticed that it was much louder now than when it was echoing in her mind when she awoke. Was... was the noise actually being made? She then pinpointed its location... it was coming from outside of her door. Was that noise what made the executioner show up in her dreams? She stared at the door in anticipation as the noise stopped.

She saw the doorknob jiggle as it slowly turned open. When she saw who was on the other end, tears began to freely flow down her eyes once more. Shizune stood in the doorway, her eyes the soulless white of the dead. Her mouth was hanging open, some saliva dripping from it. This... this wasn't possible! She knew that she couldn't kill Shizune, so she restrained her and locked the door to the room she was in. There was no way she could escape! But, there, clear as day, were the shackles around her wrists and ankles. Broken strands of chain dangled from them... so that is where the noise came from. It was the chains dragging behind her feet.

At this point, Tsunade had completely given up. There was nothing she could do at this point... either way she would die. Shizune moaned as she lunged at her and tightly grasped her shoulders. Tsunade closed her eyes as she awaited the bite that would end her life. It didn't happen.

She felt Shizune's cold hands brush against her cheeks as they wiped away her tears. Tsunade's eyes opened in shock. This... this was actually happening. What was... why was she acting like this? Shizune then let go of Tsunade's shoulders and moved her arms in a crude embrace. This was... what was going on? Why was this happening?

Tsunade hugged the undead Shizune back and cried once more. "I'm so sorry, Shizune... I'm sorry for failing you... for failing everyone. Please forgive me..." she whispered.

Shizune then growled, and her fingers dug into Tsunade's back. She turned her head and snapped her teeth into Tsunade's neck. Blood squirted out of the wound, followed by great pain, but Tsunade remained quiet. Even when Shizune began tearing off small portions of skin and sinew to devour them, Tsunade remained motionless.

She felt a sense of finality as she felt her senses dull and her vision darken. Maybe the undead could fight the hunger for a limited time before it consumed them, but that was the least of her concerns now. All she wanted was forgiveness now. She desperately wanted them to forgive her. To forgive her for not being able to kill Shizune, for not being able to protect everyone in the village. She wanted Jiraiya to forgive her for never being there for him...

She couldn't even perceive anything at this point. All that was left were her thoughts, and even those were starting to get weak and hazy. She knew that she would be gone any moment now.

_I hope... I just hope everything will be okay in the end..._ she thought.

A final tear fell down her check as Shizune tore a final piece of flesh away from her neck. The Hokage collapsed to the ground, the blood from the wound pooling on the ground near it. Her life was now gone, but it would soon be replaced.

"Good... it ended up working. So sorry to do this to you, Hokage, but people do need to face their mistakes. You two will be nice weapons for tonight..."

Tsunade's corpse began to twitch as it began to move. Her closed eyelids opened, revealing another pair of pure white eyes. A groan fell from the former Hokage's lips as she slowly began to get up...


	15. Ashes at Dawn

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 15:

_Orochimaru had taught me several things over the course of the past few days. He told me of his view on humans, on how most of them are oblivious and simple-minded. I am not so sure if that is all truth, but he seemed convinced that his words were fact. He told me of how they were so fickle and easily manipulated. This concerned me, because it sounded like I was just something to be manipulated as well, but he assured me that I was jumping to conclusions and that he genuinely cared about me._

_In addition to general knowledge, he also began teaching me in the arts of shinobi. The ability to utilize the force known as "chakra" was inherit in all humans, but only some were able to awaken that power and use it effectively. Orochimaru was a shinobi, as well as several people in the Sound Village. It seemed to be a rather loose term that applied to anybody with powers or abilities above that of a normal human. Orochimaru said that I was a shinobi, so he wanted to train me in the three essential skills: ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu._

_He first started me with genjutsu- the ability to create illusions. I was not really good at that, but the training lasted a short time. Orochimaru said that I had a great power that was essentially the strongest genjutsu. This aroused my interest, but he would say no more of the matter other than he would explain in due time._

_Training in ninjutsu made me feel very uncomfortable and hurt. Everything turned out well in the end, but I was sorrowed by Orochimaru's reactions. Ninjutsu was tricky business that required using specific positions of the hand, known as "seals," in the process of molding chakra. It was then converted into another form using the inner force of the soul. I was unable to use any ninjutsu at all, not even the simplest ones. This made Orochimaru very angry... he made threats towards me and called me a failure and other nasty terms. I was hurt, wounded, and angry... angry enough to instinctively use the only kind of ninjutsu that I apparently know. Upon witnessing this, Orochimaru renounced his hurtful words and praised me. I was confused, but he explained why he was satisfied._

_Apparently, I use a type of chakra nature known as "Darkness Release." Such a kind of nature has not existed before me. He said some shinobi could use jutsu similar to the ones I could make, but they were nowhere near my level. He said I could control the ebb and flow of yin and yang so superbly that I could manifest and manipulate shadows as if they were a part of my own body. I really do not have a clue what that stands for, and I do not think I will ever know. Orochimaru tested me a bit in my darkness power and said that I was beyond his teachings in ninjutsu because my chakra nature was something completely foreign to him. He determined that I was efficient enough in its use to where I could teach myself, so I trusted him._

_Today he is going to teach me taijutsu- the art of physical fighting. I had to walk to a location that he told me about to train, as he gave me my own dwelling to sleep in. The Sound Village was a very large place, contrary to what its name suggests. It was underground and secluded from normal people... apparently the people in this village were different in some way, but I could not tell. For some reason, Orochimaru instructed me to wear a Sound Village forehead protector (which, he told me, was a headband that had a village's symbol on it) tied around my eyes. I could not see, so I had no idea why he wanted me to do so. He assured me that it was important and that he would explain in due time. Again with that... I was starting to get impatient. When was the time due?_

_Fortunately the designated training area was not far from my home. I am still not used to moving around in a world with space that was filled by several objects. I could avoid bumping into people quite easily. I could hear the noises they made and could smell them if they were close enough to me. The problem was inanimate objects... they did not move, so I could not hear where they were._

_After a bit of stumbling and bumping into things, I made it to the training area. I knew I had arrived because I could hear him breathing in his characteristic pattern. His scent entered my nose shortly after I identified his breathing pattern._

_"Ah, hello, Otoshi," Orochimaru said._

_"Hello, Orochimaru," I said as I gracefully bowed. "I am ready for my training today."_

_"Good. Nice and eager... I like that," he said. His voice was a bit louder than it had been. I think he was facing away from me when I originally entered the room. "Today," he continued, "I will teach you about taijutsu. I was thought about how you conduct yourself in combat, and have determined that this weapon is best suited for you..."  
_

_I heard footsteps as he walked over to me. "Hold out your hands," he requested. I did so, and he placed a long object in both of my hands. I felt it for a bit and quickly identified it as a sheathed katana. I grasped the handle of the sword with one hand and removed the scabbard with another. A wonderful noise came from the sword as the scabbard grinded against the blade. I dropped the scabbard to the ground and held the sword in both of my hands. I had never used a weapon before, but all of this was coming to me like instinct._

_"Good. I see the information I encoded into you is working properly. This training session should be quite easy for you," Orochimaru said. He then made a disgusting retching sound for a few seconds. Was he ill?_

_"Are you okay?" I asked._

_"Perfectly fine... I just had to retrieve my sword; that's all," he said. "Just to make sure you know what you're doing, tell me how to use a sword."_

_"You hold it by the hilt and swing it like so," I stated as I demonstrated a few swipes with the sword._

_"Good... all of my knowledge of how to fight with a sword was successfully placed into your phylactery. Now let's see if the skill of how to fight transferred correctly. Come! Attack me!"_

_I did as I was told. As I ran towards him, all of this data suddenly entered my head. Combat strategies and techniques that enabled me to perfectly use any sword at an expert level. I felt great vigor as I prepared myself to do battle with my creator._

_I swung at him, and the blades of our swords collided with each other, creating a metallic clang. I had put a lot of force into the attack, but it did not feel as if Orochimaru needed to put up much resistance. Was I weak? Or was it that he was incredibly strong? I withdrew my blade and moved in at a different angle, only to be met by his sword yet again. We continued this tango with our swords for quite some time, with neither of us able to land a blow on each other. Fighting was certainly exhilarating! While that was the case, it was also exhausting. I eventually had to lower my blade, for I was too tired to continue fighting._

_"Good... your stamina could use some work, but it seems that I definitely placed the knowledge within your phylactery correctly. Taijutsu using a sword is now your forte," Orochimaru said._

_"What is a 'phylactery'?" I asked him. I knew many words, but that was one that was new to me._

_"Patience, Otoshi. Time will tell," he responded._

_I frowned. So far, Orochimaru had avoided all of my questions involving my nature. I still did not know if I was completely human._

_"Fine... I will tell you one thing," he said. He must have seen my disappointed expression. "I'm sure you're curious as to why you are incapable of sight? Why you must wear the forehead protector over your eyes?"_

_I _knew _there was a reason for these things! I had to find out!_

_"Yes!" I exclaimed with excitement._

_"Very well... both of those can be explained by the special eyes I have created for you. The eyes known as the Ryuukugan."_

_Ryuukugan? Special eyes? I possess a doujutsu? Ryuukugan... Dragon Nine Eye? Or... could it be interpreted as Eye of the Nine Dragons?_

_"What does the Ryuukugan do?" I asked him, eager to discover what power my eyes possessed._

_"The Ryuukugan is one of my finest creations. I attempted to make a powerful doujutsu that I could use in the future, but I could not experiment on myself... such an act would be too reckless. This is why you were made, Otoshi. I crafted your body, and before I granted you life, I created the Ryuukugan. No matter how hard I tried, the Ryuukugan were incapable of transmitting messages to the brain like any other eye. But at the cost of vision, these eyes let you use one of the most potent and powerful genjutsus in existence. Anyone who gazes at your eyes will fall under a form of mind control and will be completely obedient to your commands. This is why you must cover your eyes. You can suppress the power of your eyes if you focus on it, but it is simpler to just cover them. Don't think of using those eyes on me, however. I made sure that I am the only person alive immune to the Ryuukugan," Orochimaru explained._

_That was an enlightening segment of information. But something was still missing..._

_"The name of the eyes... what does it stand for?" I asked. I was eager to learn more._

_"That," Orochimaru said, "is a tale for another day."_

_Disappointment once again filled me. I quickly faded once I realized that I should be thankful that he explained my eyes at all._

_"Orochimaru?" I asked him after a bit of silence._

_"Yes?" he replied._

_"Do you... see me as a weapon? A tool, like most other people?" I asked as I used my words with caution._

_"Not at all, Otoshi. You are... very unique. One of my finest creations. In fact, I would go as far as to call you a son-like figure."_

_A warm feeling came from inside of me upon hearing those words. Orochimaru... father? I am likely not of a "family" because I suspect I was not created by the union of an egg and sperm. So it made sense that he would only view me as a son-like figure. Then Orochimaru would be father-like figure to me!_

_"I have a gift for you," Orochimaru said. "Two, in fact. One is that sword you hold in your hands. You may keep it and use it how you wish. I am also going to give you another sword, but this one is far more precious than the blade you currently wield."_

_"What is it?" I asked with interest._

_"You might have noticed that I was not fighting with my full force. That is because of my sword. You see, there was a legendary swordsmith that lived long ago. He made three blades with incredible powers that were the pinnacle of his work. Kusanagi is my sword, and it would slice your meager katana in half if I put any effort into it. I also have another of these legendary blades, which will now be yours... Juuchi Yosamu. Here, take it," he explained._

_I nodded and walked forward to accept my gift. Upon taking the sword from Orochimaru's grasp, I instantly noted that it was much heavier than the first sword he gave me. I unsheathed the weapon and gave it a few test swings._

_"Careful with that sword... it can cut through anything. I've even tested it, and I haven't found any material that it can't cut. This sword will also help you, because the five chakra natures- remember, I told you about them- can be utilized by the sword. Fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water... all of those you will be able to use with this sword."_

_"I see... thank you for this gift, Father," I said, calling Orochimaru what I felt of him for the first time. He chuckled at my choice of words._

_"'Father,' eh? Yes... it does have a good ring to it. Well, you are free to return home. Practice with your new blade if you wish. Just make sure to take very good care of it. I will teach you more tomorrow."_

_"I will. Goodbye, Father!" I exclaimed as I left, placing Juuchi Yosamu at my side. While walking home, I had a realization. I could use my sword as a method to see what was ahead of me. By holding it out in front of me near the ground and moving it side to side, I could see if there would be any obstacles in my way. This new discovery excited me even more. I could not wait to return home and practice!_

* * *

Jiraiya's eyes snapped open upon hearing a scream of pain. He was the only other person that slept on the third floor of the building other than Tsunade, and the watch might not be nearby. He had a room on this floor for the very reason that was happening right now. Someone was in danger, and nobody else might be around to help!

Jiraiya shot out of bed and threw open his door as he started running towards the source of the scream. It didn't take him long to find out what had occurred.

"Shit!" Jiraiya swore as he stopped in place due to surprise. Yamato was standing before Jiraiya, his face showing that the man was in shock. Blood was pouring from his neck, for Shizune had ripped into it and was gorging herself upon his flesh. The zombified woman looked up at Jiraiya and released Yamato, who crumpled to the floor. She growled as she shambled towards Jiraiya, her shackles grinding against the ground as she approached.

"Tsunade... damn it! You never told me that you didn't kill her!" Jiraiya cursed as he took a few steps back. He was in his pajamas, so he didn't have any ninja tools, but getting rid of Shizune would be simple enough. He plucked out a few strands of his hair and quickly formed the seals to his Needle Jizo jutsu. Instead of hardening all of his hair, he only hardened the few strands of hair in his hand. He took one of the hardened needles and threw it at Shizune's head. Her hungry rasps died in her throat as the needle flew straight through her head. Her lifeless body collapsed to the ground, and Jiraiya moved right past it.

"Help... help me..." Yamato weakly croaked as he clutched his neck wound.

"I'm sorry... I can't. I can only prevent you from turning into one of those creatures," Jiraiya said solemnly as he looked down at the dying man.

"Do it... and thank you," Yamato said with a smile.

"Goodbye," Jiraiya said as he threw another hair needle into Yamato's head, silencing him forever. He leaned down and closed the man's eyes, and then he stood back up and ran towards Tsunade's room. Now was not the time for mourning- he had a mission to do!

The door to her room was closed, but Jiraiya overlooked that fact as he opened it and called out Tsunade's name. He received no response. He flipped the light switch on and gritted his teeth in worry as the lights revealed that the Hokage was not in her room and that there was blood on the ground. What the hell was going on? Jiraiya turned around and left the room and sprinted towards the entrance to the interrogation room on the same floor. Tsunade said that she had "dealt with" Shizune in that room.

He briefly paused in confusion as he saw that the door to the room was closed. Zombies couldn't close doors! But Shizune had obviously escaped from the room!

_Damn it, now's not the time to think about these things! Tsunade, and possibly the others, could be in grave danger!_ he thought with alarm as he ran down the stairs to the second floor. He thought about calling out Tsunade's name, but he saw that all of the doors visible on this floor were closed... except one. Jiraiya walked over to the door and paused in apprehension as he heard the sounds within.

Chewing and smacking... it was unmistakable. Something was being eaten... most likely some_one_. Jiraiya threw open the door, but he never expected to see what was now before him.

"No... no... this can't be..." he said in disbelief as he felt all of his vigor and hope fade from him. This was not a nightmare... what he faced before him was reality. The clothes, the hair... there was no mistaking it...

The zombified form of Tsunade slowly turned around to face Jiraiya. The blood around her mouth, the wound on her neck, and the dead cold white eyes were further sights that disillusioned Jiraiya from the nightmare that he so desperately wished for this experience to be. His heart skipped a beat as she groaned and stood up. She had torn Sai's throat open, and now she saw Jiraiya as her next meal...

She slowly approached Jiraiya as she reached an arm out to grasp him. The constant transformation jutsu that she held up was slowly fading away, revealing her wrinkled but still beautiful face. The finality of the event was still dawning upon him as he stared at her through a tear-blurred vision. The love of his life was dead. This was irreversible. Nobody in the entire world could cure this, even if they worked together.

_What do I do?_ Jiraiya thought in panic. _I'm not sure if I can kill her... can I tie her up so she won't hurt anybody? No... that what she did with Shizune, and she escaped. But why was the door closed? What's going on here?_

He felt hot tears begin to roll down his cheeks as he accepted what had to be done. He had to kill her... he had to.

"Tsunade! Please! Snap out of it!" Jiraiya hopelessly pleaded to Tsunade, who made no sign of ceasing her movements. "I love you... I don't know if I can do this..."

Tsunade snarled and lunged at Jiraiya. Were... were those tears falling from her eyes?

Tsunade's fingers tightly gripped his body as she moved in to bite Jiraiya. This was the end... it had to be done. Jiraiya delivered a sharp blow to her stomach that knocked her back. Her grip was tight enough to rip off the clothing she had her hands coiled around, but that was the least of Jiraiya's concerns at the moment. He pulled out his last hair needle and took a few steps towards her. There was no mistake... she had all of the animalistic ferocity of a zombie, but she was crying.

"I don't know if you can understand me," Jiraiya said, his voice choked up from crying, "but if you're in pain right now I will free you."

He bit down on his lip as he walked over to Tsunade, steeling himself for what had to be done. Tsunade growled as she lunged at him once more. Jiraiya held the needle up and jammed it into her forehead. Tsunade's raspy growl died in her throat as her body became limp and fell to the ground. Jiraiya felt a sharp pain both in his lip, which had been pierced open by his own teeth, and in his heart. He looked down at her lifeless body, and the tears that he was holding back unleashed themselves as they poured down his face. Jiraiya knelt down and picked up her lifeless body and cradled it in his arms as he softly sobbed into her unwounded shoulder.

After what seemed to be eternity, Jiraiya set down her body and stood up as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He knew that Tsunade would have died someday. He knew that his own days were limited, too. Both of them vowed to protect the Leaf against Akatsuki, and he expected that they would die defending the village or Naruto. But this... this was too soon, too unnatural. He had not been prepared for this.

But now he had work to do. He couldn't leave her like this... he needed to bury her. He also needed to bury Shizune, Yamato, and Sai. It took him a few minutes, but he managed to hoist all four bodies onto his shoulders. He also made sure that Sai would not reanimate. Their weight pressed down on him as he opened a window on the second floor and jumped out of it. The dead were not nearby, as he did not hear their moans. He walked over to a spot, looked up, and saw the stone face of Tsunade that was on the Hokage Mountain looming over him. He placed the bodies down and formed a few hand seals. The ground beneath him moved about until three graves were open before him, one of them larger than the others. He placed Yamato into a grave and Sai into a different grave and made the earth move over them. He then placed Shizune and Tsunade in the same grave, removing the kunai out of Tsunade's head beforehand. He leaned down and closed both their eyes and their open mouths so that they seemed to be at peace, and then he moved the earth over that grave. The bloodied needle still in his hand was then thrown into Tsunade's grave, serving as its marker.

He sighed with a heavy heart as he took one last look at the grave. He had to return now... he had to defend Konoha. He had to assume Tsunade's position and help ensure the survival of the few remaining people of the Leaf. But he didn't know if he could. Could he escape the tight clutches that sorrow had on him? He had no idea. He hung his head low as he sadly walked back to the Administration Building.

The doors... they had been bothering him the entire time. The door to the interrogation room and Tsunade's room... both of them had been closed, but both, presumably, were the origin points of the two zombies he had to put down. Sai's room had its door slightly ajar. The undead were not capable of those actions. This meant that somebody did this. Somebody knew that Shizune had been restrained, and then the perpetrator used her to kill Tsunade and anybody else that got in the way of the zombies. That had to be the case... there was no other explanation. But was this his grief trying to shift the blame of his failure to protect her onto someone else? He did not know, but he did know that today would be a difficult one.

* * *

Naruto was brought out of his sleep when he felt someone roughly shaking him. The person was sobbing loudly, showing him that something dire had happened. Despite the sense of urgency, sleep still gripped Naruto's mind.

"Stop... cryin'..." Naruto grumbled. "Stop shakin' me..."

He rubbed his eyes and identified the person who shook him as Sakura. He blinked a few times as the sleep faded away. "What... what happened?" he asked with concern.

"It's Lady Tsunade... she's dead!" Sakura cried. Naruto's eyes widened as he sat up at this statement.

"W-What?" Naruto asked with shock. _This can't be! Tsunade can't be just another name on the death toll!_ he thought.

He felt a vile feeling inside of him: an unpleasant sensation that entered his head.

_**Of course she would be another name on the death toll,**_ a voice that could only belong to the Kyuubi quipped. _**Everyone important to you is going to die here...**_

Naruto remained silent at the demon fox's words and waited for the vile sensation to dissipate. As it did, he couldn't help but think about the words. Were they true? Try as he might, everything seemed hopeless... there didn't seem to be a way out of the village. But there was a part of him that refused to accept the beast's words, a side that would fight to the very end.

"Shizune..." Sakura began, but her words died. She wiped some tears from her eyes and changed the subject. "Just get dressed and go down to the lobby. Jiraiya's holding a funeral of sorts there... he'll explain what happened."

Sakura quietly left the room, but Naruto could tell that she was holding back sobs. He knew how important Tsunade was to her... she did train her for the three years that he was gone, after all.

Naruto got dressed, but his body was doing everything subconsciously. He was too busy thinking about Tsunade. He would never be able to speak to her again. He missed his chance to apologize for all of his disrespectful words and actions in the past. And Jiraiya... who knew how he was feeling at the moment. He and Tsunade had been very close, and he never got his chance to be even closer like he wanted to happen...

"H-Hello, Naruto," he heard Hinata whisper. Naruto snapped out of his trance. He was currently in the lobby, and all of the inhabitants of the building were sitting down. All of the chairs had been moved so that they faced the chair that seated Jiraiya. Naruto saw the empty chair next to Hinata and Kiba and sat down. He looked around at everyone and saw their darkened expressions.

"Everyone's here now, so..." Jiraiya said quietly. "As you all probably know, we lost the Hokage and a wonderful woman last night. Tsunade is dead. I'm going to save all of the memories and experiences I have of her for a later time. Those aren't important right now. I believe that someone here killed her."

Everyone was surprised at that claim. Tsunade had been killed? Why... who would do that? Naruto looked around at everyone and realized something that had been bothering him.

"Where's Yamato and Sai?" he asked.

"They both perished last night as well," Jiraiya said lowly. Naruto felt his insides twist as two more people, one great teacher and a budding friend, had also been confirmed dead. Before he could think about possible scenarios of what happened last night, Jiraiya spoke.

"As some of you know, I showed up some time last night and took a room on the third floor. If I wasn't here, then Tsunade would be the only person staying on that floor. I'm positive that our murderer thought that Tsunade would be alone last night. That means they were one of the people that retired to bed early and wasn't hanging around when I showed up. They also knew of Tsunade's dark secret. We know Shizune perished and turned, but we assumed that Tsunade dealt with her body. She didn't."

_Damn it! Why didn't she kill her?_ Naruto thought with indignation.

"Our murderer knew this fact somehow," Jiraiya continued. "He freed Shizune and used her as the weapon to turn Tsunade. Yamato was keeping watch at the time, and he was bitten by Shizune. Since the floors are quite spacious, anyone below wouldn't have heard him... but I was on the same floor, and his cries of pain awoke me. I found Tsunade on the floor below, eating Sai."

"What makes you think that one of us was behind this?" Genma asked as he moved his toothpick around his mouth. "To me, that sounds like a very unfortunate happening that resulted because Shizune broke out."

"I would have thought so, too, but I noticed some crucial details that showed me that foul play is involved. The door to the room that Shizune was kept in had been closed, as was the door to Tsunade's room. Sai's door was cracked ajar. Tell me, since when was the last time that zombies closed doors behind them or opened them quietly?"

"Akamaru and I can't smell any blood here," Kiba said. "Are you sure that someone here is a murderer?"

"I'm positive. Their entire plan was set up, and I ruined it by showing up unannounced. There would be no doubt that the murderer would have 'discovered' the bodies and would be warping the truth if I wasn't present."

"Where's your evidence?" Ibiki asked.

"I know you're looking for the cold hard facts since you're used to it, but think about who you're talking to, Ibiki. If you still think I'm lying, I buried them next to the Hokage Mountain, under Tsunade's head."

"So now what? What are we going to do if there's a murderer on the loose?" Ken asked with concern.

"We'll need more people acting as watch tonight. But that's quite a ways away, so... nobody should be alone today. Keep close to someone. Of course, that means someone could be with the murderer, so stay in groups of three."

"I can probe the minds of everyone here," Ibiki said. "If we set up a scheduled time, I can interrogate everyone and see just who the killer is."

"Yes, that would probably be for the best," Jiraiya sighed.

"Shouldn't we start interrogating now?" Naruto asked sternly.

"I... I don't know... I'm exhausted, Naruto. I'm not sure if I'm even up for leading everyone. Tsunade-" Jiraiya began.

"Enough about Tsunade!" Naruto shouted. He felt all eyes fall on him as he raised his voice. Undeterred, he continued, "Think about what you just said! Someone here is a traitor that is trying to kill all of us! We can't waste time mourning the dead!"

"Damn it, Naruto! Show some respect for Tsunade!" Jiraiya yelled back. "The Hokage, a wonderful woman, is dead! And you're here slandering her legacy by-"

"Slandering her legacy? Disrespecting her?" Naruto growled. "If anything, I'm upholding her legacy and showing her respect by doing something other than crying and moping!"

"Think about how _I_ feel! What would you do if Sakura died?" Jiraiya said, tears forming in his eyes.

"_You!_" Naruto exclaimed with disgust. "This isn't about _you!_ It's about all of us! This entire meeting is pointless! Come talk to me when you see reason!"

Naruto got up and stormed off to his room. Sakura began to get up to follow him, but Jiraiya cut her off by saying, "Leave the ungrateful bastard alone..." Sakura sighed and sat down as she bowed her head.

"He has a point, you know," Shikamaru said.

"I know..." Jiraiya said quietly, "...but I'm not sure what to do... I can't think clearly..."

"You do have a responsibility of leading us, Jiraiya. You are the strongest and eldest person here. Stick your chin up and accept that role," Ibiki said. "I'll perform the interrogations in an hour. Everyone be ready at that time."

"N-Naruto's alone... I need to tell him about this. And he can't be alone..." Hinata said quietly as she got up and left the room.

"Everyone be back here in one hour. Jiraiya and I have some things to discuss," Ibiki said, concluding the meeting.

* * *

Naruto slammed the door and sat down on his bed, clutching his head. Anger was coursing through his veins, and it felt as if he were about to explode. Jiraiya... why was he so stubborn and blinded by sorrow? Tsunade wouldn't want him to act like this!

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a light tap at the door.

"Go the fuck away!" Naruto snapped at whoever was behind it.

"I'm sorry, Naruto... but... please... I... I want to talk to you..." Hinata's quiet voice said. She sounded quite hurt by Naruto's outburst. "You were right... when you talked out there..."

"Come in," Naruto said as he sighed heavily and collapsed on his bed. His anger was subsided, but he felt a bit mad at himself for snapping at Hinata for no reason. He heard the door creak as it was cracked open. Naruto glanced towards the ajar door and saw Hinata peeking inside.

"Do you not want me here?" she timidly asked. Apparently he had still sounded angry when he told her to come in.

"No... that's not it. The complete opposite. I want someone to talk to..." Naruto said.

Hinata nodded and opened the door fully. She walked in the room, shut the door, and went over and sat down next to Naruto's head. She looked into his puzzled expression and bashfully looked away as she blushed. Naruto rolled his eyes at Hinata's strange behavior as he sat up and stretched.

"So... what do you think? About this whole thing?" Naruto asked.

"Oh... well... it's very sad," Hinata said as she looked down at the floor. "And it's rather frightening. We're not safe... not even in here. Who could do such a thing? Why would someone kill us?"

"Some arrogant piece of shit that probably thinks that he'll get some favor with those rogue Akatsuki bastards if he does us in," Naruto said coldly.

"Really? You think so?" Hinata asked as she looked up at Naruto.

"Yeah... I don't see any other reason for killing us. They went after the Hokage, too. And Yamato and Sai... there had to be a reason they were killed."

"I'm... I'm scared, Naruto," Hinata whimpered.

"Don't worry... everything will be fine. Jiraiya just has to snap out of his sorrow and deal with the matters at hand."

"Ibiki said that he would interrogate everyone in one hour. I needed to let you know... and you needed someone to be with you. I don't know what I'd do if the murderer got you..."

"You don't need to worry about me, Hinata. The murderer is just one guy. He's not the army of zombies lurking outside... I don't know if we can beat them, even with the Sand's help."

"Please, Naruto... don't talk about that..." Hinata said quietly.

"That's the problem with everyone here! They don't want to accept the truth! Tsunade is dead, someone here is trying to kill us all, and we're going to have a nightmare trying to get out of here!" Naruto exclaimed, his voice raising. "_If_ we can even get out of here..."

"Please don't talk that way!" Hinata cried out. "I know what you're saying is right, but you can't let those thoughts tear you apart on the inside! There are a lot of people that care about you, Naruto..."

"I know..." Naruto sighed. "I have a lot of friends here, and I don't want to see anyone go down, let alone get up again. I don't want to see anyone get hurt, and I'll fight to protect everyone here! It's just that I don't know if I can even win..."

"I understand how you feel... I feel helpless all of the time. But you're so strong, Naruto... you have willpower that I've never seen in anyone else. You're always fighting to protect everyone. I wish I could feel that way..."

"Don't be afraid, Hinata," Naruto said as he placed his hands on Hinata's shoulders. "Even if you can't fight for everyone, there has to be somebody you want to protect. I'm sure everyone else here wouldn't want to see you get hurt. We're all fighting for each other... except the murderer, of course."

"I see... thank you, Naruto. I feel much better now," she said with a smile.

"Don't mention it. I'll always help those in need. Is that all you needed?"

Hinata looked down and bit her lip as she blushed.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm... I'm fine..." Hinata said, her voice incredibly quiet, as her face returned to its normal color.

"If you say so..." Naruto said as he let go of her shoulders and stood up. "Well, I suppose we should get back to the lobby. Jiraiya's probably still there... I acted kind of childish storming out. Maybe I can talk some reason in to him. Thanks for calming me down, Hinata."

Naruto opened the door and went back to the lobby. Hinata stood up and wordlessly followed him.

_Why... why can't he tell how I feel about him?_ she thought to herself as she followed the man she loved.

* * *

A ray of light peeked through the various small holes in the ceiling. The light fell down into the Uchiha temple that was in disrepair, one of them on Madara's face. The beam of light warmed his face and stirred him from his sleep. He moved about a bit before opening his eyes and sitting up. Nobody had found his position overnight, and he felt rejuvenated. His chakra system had also repaired itself from the Hyuga's attack yesterday.

"I assume everyone's still here..." Madara muttered to himself as he stood up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Once he was fully awake, he left the temple and began walking towards the direction of the Administration Building. Every zombie paid no attention to the man that held sovereign over the jutsu that created them, even thought it was used by someone else.

"Reiko... I can get rid of her whenever I want. It's the remaining population of Konoha that's the problem. They're trying to eliminate this nice army of undead that Reiko was so kind to create for me. And so long as a single person that holds allegiance to this village is still breathing, then Konoha still exists. I will ensure its destruction today..."

* * *

Zetsu emerged from the ground inside of the fake tree that Nagato and Konan were currently occupying.

"_Heeeeeeeey, what's crackin_'?" Zetsu's white half asked as he entered the room. He then saw a Konan sitting against the wall, her robes open, revealing a heavily bandaged chest, and his cheery expression faded.

"I take it you were not successful?" Zetsu's black half asked her.

"I thought you were observing the battles," Konan said as she coldly glared at Zetsu. She had expected the plant-like man to appear and help her when she was critically wounded.

"_Oh, we were... we just got side-tracked._"

"Side-tracked with _what?_ Niomi had been defeated, and I took over for Zhale! There were no fights anymore!" Konan shouted.

"We assumed that you could handle Otoshi. We tracked the two rogues back to their base. They're in a watch tower."

"Excellent work, Zetsu. I would have preferred that you assisted Konan... she was near death. Our missions may be important, but so are the lives of our fellow members," Nagato said.

"Understood..."

"You're fortunate that Nagato has the powers of God, or else my death would have been on your hands," Konan hissed.

"Enough! What's done is done... we cannot change the past," Nagato said. He looked at Zetsu and said, "What have you observed so far?"

"Deidara and Tobi arrived in the village sometime last night. They're currently resting from their trip. Itachi and Kisame are en route, but they're travelling at a slower pace. I asked them why, and they said that they would let us go first so they could be backup, if needed," Zetsu said. "The Nine-Tails host is the more protected one, so they want the members here to take out the three rogues before we all take the last host."

"Does Deidara know of the rogues' locations?" Konan asked.

"Not yet, but I will be sure to tell him. As for Otoshi... _that guy's a slippery fucker. He can turn his body into shadows or something and evade our tracking._"

"I see... we might have some problems with him. I never suspected that he possessed enough power to take down Konan," Nagato mused as he stroked his chin.

"The forehead protector that covers his eyes... he never removed it. I think he's hiding a doujutsu, since he managed to freeze the other members before he left our organization," Konan said.

"A doujutsu? Are you sure? Then again, Itachi was affected as well... there's no way that any ordinary genjutsu would hold him. He may hold even more power than we suspect. Do not underestimate him."

"_Oh yeah, Boss Man. We happened across something else that might interest you..._" Zetsu said.

"I'm listening."

"_Word around the place is that the Hokage is dead. There are more rumors that Jiraiya is now leading the surviving group here..._"

"So... our old teacher is here..." Konan said as she closed her eyes in thought.

"Is that all?" Nagato asked.

"No... Madara is here, as well."

Nagato's eyes widened. "What! He is?"

"_Yup. He's changed up his look, but that's him all right. I'm not sure why exactly he is here, but I bet it involves the state of Konoha._"

"Interesting... we shall make contact with him before he strike. Konan and I will wait until Deidara and Tobi make their move. Go and inform them of the location of the rogues," Nagato said.

"_Can do,_" Zetsu responded as he sank back into the ground, leaving Nagato and Konan alone.

"Jiraiya will not hesitate to defeat us, you know," Konan said. "We are his enemies now. You cannot hold back."

"I know that, Konan... I know..." Nagato said lowly.

* * *

Fascinating... that was the one word that Danzou chose to describe the research he performed most of last night. Any normal person that would have witnessed his experiments would have called him mad, but he needed to know about these creatures and how they operated.

Madara certainly crafted these creatures very carefully, that was for sure. Danzou had tested the limits of the undead and found that they were incredibly durable. It did not matter what kind of damage you did to the body- they simply did not register the pain and kept on trying to bite. If their limbs were chopped off, they still attacked. Grievous wounds ranging from chemical burns to smashed torsos to vivisections all resulted in the undead still trying to bite. An incredible instinct to spread the infection implanted into their very being. It did not matter who the person was in life... in death, they all functioned the same, assuming their body functioned correctly in life.

He learned some interesting things on his experiments. The undead could be killed in another way other than decapitation or brain trauma. Enough blood loss in the chest will cause the brain to lose blood. It took a lengthy amount of time, but it definitely killed the undead specimen. Anything else just seemed to hinder their movement. Torn muscles resulted in a limb unable to be moved. Severed limbs just had pumped blood fall from the stump, but it did not seem to adversely affect them. Attempting to drown them just resulted in waterlogged lungs, which prevented them from moving.

The intricacies behind the jutsu that created these creatures were astounding. Examining the raw essence of the chakra that converted them to this state showed many things, most of them baffling. The chakra appeared to be composed of pure Yin energies. Somehow, Madara had managed to convert spiritual energy into something that could morph a normal human system into the durable and monstrous system of the undead.

The many hours that he spent studying the ten undead specimens brought to him proved invaluable information. He mostly knew how the creatures operated (aside from some baffling things that he simply could not figure out) and knew of effective ways of disposing them. Studying the pestilent chakra proved that a cure was possible, but incredibly unlikely. Due to the shifting nature of the malignant force inside of the undead, a cure could only feasibly be developed on an individual basis, and that would take lots of manpower to develop. Reversing an undead back into a human state could also have untold side effects, most of them forms of brain damage.

No... what Danzou valued by studying the chakra was how to replicate it. Madara's jutsu was an incredible weapon that reduced most of Konoha to shambling monstrosities in mere hours. The village's might was severely crippled... the only way for Konoha to mean something in the eyes of the world other than a tragedy was to weaponize Madara's jutsu. A weapon that could disperse the pestilent chakra throughout a populace would ensure Konoha's ascent back to the strongest power...

...but the only way to ensure _that_ was for three things to happen. The ones that brought this plague to Konoha had to be removed, and then the infected populace had to be eliminated. Both of those are necessary for the survival of the few living shinobi of Konoha, which Danzou had to ensure. He could not entrust that to Sai and Yamato anymore... he had not received any reports from them overnight. He had to assume that they had died.

"Sir? What are you doing?" Torune asked Danzou as he noted the old man walking with his cane over to the exit of the Root facility.

"Stay here until I call for you and the others... I'm going out to protect Konoha," Danzou replied with determination.

* * *

Jiraiya and Ibiki had been discussing current affairs and about the new responsibilities that Jiraiya had to uphold. Something caught their attention, though- the fact that shadows had seeped through the crack under the entrance doors and was now forming a humanoid shape.

"What the hell?" Ibiki asked as the shadows faded away, revealing a blindfolded man in an Akatsuki robe. He was maliciously grinning at the two men who were now assuming aggressive stances.

"If you want Naruto, then you'll have to get through us!" Jiraiya growled.

"Oh, so _this_ is where he is? How lucky! I just came in here because I knew there were people in here to fuck with! This is even better!" Otoshi exclaimed with delight.

"I don't know who you are, but you're not laying a hand on him or anyone else in here!" Jiraiya shouted as he began forming hand seals.

"You're mistaken," Otoshi said as he reached up and removed the forehead protector covering his eyes. Both Jiraiya and Ibiki dropped their hostile stances and limply stood there as their faces became blank. "I can lay a hand on anybody I want..."


	16. A Fire Rekindled

So sorry about the wait.

* * *

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 16:

When Naruto arrived in the lobby, he saw Jiraiya still sitting in the chair he had been during the announcement several minutes ago. The other chairs of the room were still positioned to face Jiraiya, and Ibiki was sitting in a chair directly opposite him. The two were having a quiet conversation, and the sound of Naruto's footsteps caused Jiraiya to turn his head around and face him.

The two stared at each other for a brief moment. "I'm sorry," they both spoke simultaneously. Jiraiya beckoned for Naruto to sit next to him, and he did so. Hinata arrived in the lobby shortly after, and she sat down a few seats away from Naruto, eager to see them reconcile.

"I take it you realized how selfish you acted?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah... and it seems you figured out that you were a bit of an ass back there," Jiraiya replied.

"I've just been telling Jiraiya about the responsibilities he has to take, but I was never skilled in cheering people up. It's good that you're here, Naruto. I think you can help Jiraiya out," Ibiki said with a nod.

"Well... I don't know exactly what you're going through," Naruto said to Jiraiya. "I mean, we've all lost people important to us today, but... you really cared for Tsunade, didn't you?"

"More than you could think of," Jiraiya said somberly as he reflected on his past with a sad smile. "Ever since we've been on the same team, I've always wanted her to be my wife. Funny, coming from a huge womanizer like me. But she's always had eyes for other people. In childhood, it was Orochimaru. In-"

"Blech!" Naruto cried out in mock disgust, cutting Jiraiya off. "She liked that freaky guy!"

Jiraiya chuckled, "Believe it or not, he wasn't always a freak. But that was only a childhood crush for her. When she grew into a young woman, she met Dan Kato, and they became lovers. Probably would have married, too, if he didn't die in the Second World War. Then she splintered away from the village until... well, you were there firsthand. I'd like to think that she was finally warming up to me, but... I don't know. That's probably wishful thinking. I've been going off a lot of that my life."

Everyone snapped their heads towards Hinata as she made a small yelp of fright. She looked around, blushing and embarrassed.

"I-I didn't mean to shock everyone!" she exclaimed, waving her arms around. She calmed down from her fluster, and quietly added, "I just thought I saw something dark move out of the corner of my eye..."

"Do you want to talk with me alone?" Naruto asked, sensing that sort of tone in Jiraiya's voice. He nodded, not saying anything more.

"I'll take her back to her sister and cousin, then," Ibiki said as he stood up and escorted Hinata out of the lobby. Once they were gone, Jiraiya hung his head down.

"Something wrong?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya let out a sigh that contained the weariness of the world. He looked up at Naruto, and Jiraiya suddenly looked a lot older than he remembered. The wrinkles around his mouth and eyes seemed more defined, and the look in his eyes was cold and distant.

"I'm old, Naruto," he said. "I have... what, thirty more years left to live? Forty if I'm lucky. Fifty-three years old, the glory days long gone, and I have nothing to show for it. Everything I tried has resulted in failure. I was always chasing Tsunade, and she always had her back turned to me as she admired someone else. I was blind to Orochimaru's troubles until it was far too late. Nothing I tried to write attracted an audience, so I fell into writing smutty books I don't care about just to make some money. I avoided my responsibility to the village by tracking down Orochimaru when he defected, making me unable to be Hokage when it was needed, and unfit to assume the position when Hiruzen died a few years back. My legacy is one of regret, shame, and dead pupils... Women? Booze? My goofy actions? Just attempts to fill my life with something significant, but even those are temporary, their effects on me fleeting and insignificant..."

"Bullshit!" Naruto shouted, "You're not a failure! You're a great teacher and a wonderful man! I don't know who else you've trained other than the Fourth Hokage, but you trained me! Are you just going to sulk in the past? I believe in you, old man, and you should believe in me, your newest student!"

Jiraiya chuckled, a smile on his face once more. "Maybe you're right... yeah, I can make something out of this..." he said, his expression brightening." I think I'll grow up and take on my responsibility now. Naruto, you're my godchild."

Naruto looked confused. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. Finally, he mustered the words, "...my parents? You knew them?"

"Quite well. They gave me the responsibility of looking after you, but, big surprise, I failed at that because I was too busy chasing Orochimaru, a friend who had long fallen into darkness at that point. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me," he said, expecting Naruto to explode into anger.

"No... it's okay. I understand. Besides, I got by pretty well compared to Gaara," he said with a smile on his face.

"You're something else, kid. If only I could keep a sunny attitude all the time. I think it's time to tell you something that nobody in the village told you: who your parents were. This wasn't kept from you because you were a jinchuuriki or anything like that. It was to protect you. If you knew who they were at a young age, I don't think you could contain yourself. You'd go off blabbing it to everyone, and soon the whole world would know. Your father was the Fourth Hokage and your mother was a princess of the Whirlpool Village."

Naruto's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he tried to isolate one of the many emotions swirling around in him at the moment, but he couldn't.

"Minato-your father, that is-took a great risk in sealing the Kyuubi into you, but he did it to stop it from coming back to attack the village. He did it because he had faith in you, that you would be able to control it. Your parents loved you dearly, Naruto. Again, I'm sorry I was never there for you."

"It's okay... I understand. What about my mother? What happened to her?" Naruto said distantly, still trying to comprehend the knowledge of his parents.

"She had the Kyuubi in her before you did. It broke out when she was giving birth to you... foul play was involved. Someone forced the beast out of her, but we don't know who. She had nearly died a year prior when her village was destroyed by the Mist. Konoha took her in... there are a few Uzumaki survivors scattered in the world. You were given her last name because if you had your father's last name, it would be pretty obvious who your parents were."

"I only wish I could talk to them again... but all this gives me is further reason to become Hokage. To make my parents proud! We'll fight against the terrors outside and rebuild the village from its ashes!" Naruto exclaimed.

"That's the spirit!" Jiraiya laughed, but their words were hollow. There was no certainty that their optimism would give them the results they wished for. There was no certainty that any of them would survive the coming week.

"Thanks... thanks for telling me that," Naruto said.

"No, thank you, Naruto, for listening to the weary tales of an old man and inspiring me once more. I'm going to be responsible now. I'll be your godfather, I'll be the 'Hokage' of this group... if we do somehow fight all of this back and can gather enough people to make a shinobi village, then I'll lead them as well. There's just one more thing I feel the need to tell you before this hour's up and everyone is back here."

"That is?"

"While it may have not brought me long-term satisfaction, my exploits of women have given me insight on romantic relationships. I know you've told me that you like Sakura, but take my advice, kid... I don't know if that will work out."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked defensively.

"Really? You're not seeing any parallels here? You're trying to court her, and she's admiring another man? It's just like me and Tsunade, Naruto. Once she gets out of that childish crush towards Sasuke, she's going to find another man to mend the wounds in her heart... and it won't be you, Naruto. It will never be you. Some things just aren't meant to work out. By all means, keep your friendship, but don't romantically pursue her... it will just injure both of you in the long run. I don't even know if you really like her. It could just be a childish crush, a result of hormones and perceived beauty."

Naruto gazed down at the floor with a frown, "I have been giving a lot of thought about my life since we've had time to settle down and do so. I think a lot of people have. When something this terrible happens... it gives you a lot to think about. A lot to reevaluate about your life. Maybe I would have come to that conclusion soon, but... maybe she would also accept me now? I mean... there's not a lot of people left and all..."

Jiraiya shook his head, "It won't work. You don't want a hollow relationship like that anyway, even if it's with the girl of your dreams. By all means, feel free to keep chasing her if you're stubborn, but do you want to wait that long for a possibility?"

"Then that's it? I'm out of any chance of love until I meet someone else?" Naruto asked with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"...Really?" Jiraiya asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're... serious?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked, sadness giving way to anger.

"I... _wow,_ you're really that clueless? Someone likes you a lot, Naruto. It's Hinata."

"Hinata? Really?" Naruto asked with disbelief. Despite that tone being apparent in his voice, he was still blushing slightly.

"You're shitting me, right? It's completely obvious that she's into you. You should go talk to her soon."

"Wait... isn't this like the same thing with Sakura? A childish crush and all that?"

"Dude, it's _completely_ different when a woman has the crush. I don't see you complaining, either," Jiraiya said with a goofy grin.

"I- Well- Hmm..." Naruto said. "You do have a point. I'm not going to turn her down to chase after Sakura."

"That's the spirit. Don't go in thinking she's going to be the one, either. Just give it a chance, see where things take you. It could end in heartbreak, it could not. Better to give it a shot, I'd say, than mope around without a woman by your side."

"Thanks, Pervy Sage," Naruto said with a smile as he stood up. "I'm going to go talk to her right now!"

"I wouldn't do that. The hour's almost up, and everyone will be coming back in here soon for the interrogations. You'll need more than a few minutes to talk to her."

"Ah," Naruto said as he sat back down with an impatient expression on his face.

"Kids," Jiraiya chuckled.

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked defensively.

"You're just reminding me of me when I was a young lad. I would give you some advice on how to talk to her, but you're all fired up and I don't think it's humanly possible to stutter and be more awkward than her when it comes to talking about love. Just... well, thank you, Naruto. Thanks for giving me something to live for."

"No problem. You're the closest I've got to a parent. It's the least I can do for my godfather," Naruto said with a bright smile and a thumbs up.

* * *

_I eagerly waited for my father to show up, the excitement I felt barely able to be contained within my body. Yesterday he told me to meet him because he wanted to discuss something important to me today. The waiting was killing me, but I knew it would be worth it. Every time he wanted to talk about something "important," I learned something new about myself._

_I could not help but smile as I heard footsteps matching the gait of my father. I heard a door open in front of me. As it closed, the footsteps stopped._

_"I wasn't expecting you to be here already," my father said._

_"I get to learn about myself when you tell me there is something important to talk about. I wanted to be here as soon as you arrived," I said._

_"Eager and quick to the point, I see," he said. "Then I might as well get right to it. I suppose you want to know your nature, correct? Just exactly who and what you are?"_

_This was it! What I have wanted to know for the last month! He would finally tell me!_

_"You know that you are not human. You know that instead you are very similar to one, except you have a phylactery, correct?" he asked._

_"I do, Father," I said with a nod. "But... what is a phylactery? Will you please tell me?"_

_"A phylactery is an altered soul," Orochimaru said._

_...Soul? What is a soul? I repeated those very words to Father._

_"A soul... hmm... let's see... to put it simply, a soul is what makes every creature unique. Not unique in their physical appearance, but unique in the way they act. A soul is also essential for life. Without a soul, you are practically dead, for you will have no consciousness at all. All creatures are born with souls, and, besides the essence of life, they contain the "personality" of the creature, so to say. It is a lot more complex than that, but this is the easiest way to explain it to you."_

_"So... do I have a soul?" I asked Father._

_"No. You are not a natural biological creature. You are my first success in created an artificial human... what I call homunculi."_

_"Artificial?"_

_"Yes. The process of creating a homunculus is quite simple. I take a cadaver and repair any damaged internal systems with organs taken from fresher corpses. I take harvested flesh, hair, and eyes and replace everything that has decayed. Any abnormalities in the skin are smoothed out so they look natural. Once the body has been created, I extract the soul from someone and alter it so only the energy of life remains. After placing the soul inside of this shell, the homunculus is born. Unfortunately, all of the homunculi before you have shown no intelligence at all, only able to follow simple instructions. I discovered that stripping away the personality of a soul leaves you with only a small fragment of a soul. It seems that homunculi were not able to produce their own personalities with a base, simply because there was no room for this development!" Orochimaru explained._

_This... it was all so shocking! Orochimaru had seemed so kind before, but now he was talking about repairing corpses using pieces from other bodies and taking souls from living people to use in these experiments! These moral and ethical thoughts were new to me... but I had a feeling that the bodies he had were obtained through murder. Is Father... evil?_

_"So as I experimented more, I had a grand idea. If altering one soul only produced the minimum requirements for life, then perhaps merging together several souls and altering them would produce a larger phylactery! If this worked, then homunculi I created could reason, think, and learn! I had to test this new idea."_

_Father... he is scaring me right now. I do not like it at all._

_"How many souls were used to make my phylactery?" I fearfully asked._

_"It was surprising how many I needed. I expected to use at least five, but to create something with your level of intelligence, I required around a hundred souls."_

_I gasped in terror. I was made from the deaths of a hundred innocent people?_

_"I don't see why you're so concerned. My experiment worked. The large amount of souls, when fused together and altered, made a phylactery the same size as a normal soul. You were not only a homunculus made to test the Ryuukugan, but also this new phylactery! You were a marvelous success! You had human emotion! Human thoughts! You could learn, reason, adapt! And you possess the working Ryuukugan eyes!"_

_"But... a hundred innocents died to make me," I said gravely. I was angry at the man before me... how could he do such unspeakable acts and seem so excited about it? I felt tears fall from my eyes... was this the emotion of sorrow?_

_"Innocents? No, no, no... you are mistaken. These people were killers themselves, or they had wronged me. Both of those deserve to go punished, do they?" he asked me._

_"I... I suppose," I muttered. These conflicting thoughts and feelings were alien to me... I was so confused._

_"Yes. I simply gave them a fitting end for their crimes against others or against me. I would never harm innocents," he said, but I could not tell if he was being sincere or not._

_"So I am a twisted experiment made to perfectly resemble and act like a human?" I asked him coldly._

_"I wouldn't go so far as to call the experiment 'twisted,' but yes, you are correct."_

_"Then why was I given the Ryuukugan? How was it made? Did you have to kill more people to make it?"_

_"Calm down, Otoshi... there's no reason to be so bitter about all of this. The Ryuukugan was a gift. A gift to the creation that would become my son. Just like the gift of the sword I gave you, and this gift that I am about to give you."_

_I heard him move towards me. I squirmed slightly as he drew closer, but I calmed down. I suppose everything he said was true and he was just a scientist. He leaned down and caressed my face._

_"I have told you about my curse seals, correct? I believe it is time for you to receive one of your very own," he said. I nodded at his question, and he leaned down and bit into my neck. I grimaced as a sharp pain penetrated my neck and unfamiliar energy flowed into my body, but the unpleasant moment soon faded. I now had a curse seal of my very own!_

_"Thank you, Father, but... why are you giving me this gift?" I asked him, slightly worried. Was he just trying to ease my concerns over the information he had revealed to me?_

_"I am leaving soon and I might not return," Orochimaru said bluntly. I was not expecting this response at all._

_"What! Why?" I asked, shocked._

_"I'm leaving to deliver retribution to a village that wronged me in the past. The village that I was once part of. They did not approve of my experiments, and I will punish them for banishing me..." he said. "You, my son, are far too precious to accompany me. You will stay here. If I am to die, then you shall inherit my position as the leader of this village. Do you understand?"_

_"I... I am not sure... this is all so sudden!" I said breathlessly._

_"I know. I have thought long and hard over this decision. But you must agree to it for the good of this village."_

_"I... understand. I... I love you."_

_"I love you, too, my son," Orochimaru said as he hugged me. The embrace was brief, and he started to walk away as soon as he released me._

_"Are you leaving now?" I asked him._

_"I am," he said._

_"Then... please return safely," I said as he left the room and closed the door without a word._

* * *

Shortly after Naruto and Jiraiya's talk, everyone started entering the lobby in groups of three. It didn't take long for everyone to arrive, and Ibiki walked into the middle of the room.

"This interrogation process will only take a short amount of time per person," he announced. "I'm only going to look through your recent memories for any signs of foul play. A longer interrogation would be more effective, but it would take far too long. Is anyone willing to go f-"

Before Ibiki could finish the word "first", Naruto stood up and walked in front of the scarred man. He smirked at his gusto and placed a hand on Naruto's head. Immediately he felt a strange and unpleasant sensation as his memories were being sifted through. Though Ibiki's hand rested on his head it felt as if his fingers were extending into his skull and wriggling throughout his brain.

It felt like it lasted far longer than it did. Less than a minute had passed when Ibiki let go of Naruto's head and simply stated, "Next."

One by one, each person walked up to Ibiki to receive their interrogation. Some people were far more sensitive to the mental probing than others, wriggling around as memories they tried to block from the preceding days were resurfaced in their minds. Those that were uncomfortable were issued a brief apology from Ibiki, as well as condolences.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the last person sat down. Surely, if someone had been the killer, they would have been apprehended on the spot.

"...I've seen no evidence that anybody in this room is the killer," Ibiki uncomfortably announced.

"Does that mean he did it?" Lee asked with worry as he pointed at Ibiki.

"Not necessarily," Kurenai said. "There could have been mental barricades placed in the mind of someone here for this very reason... barricades that would be difficult to detect with such a short scan of the mind. Unfortunately, I have no expertise in these kinds of genjutsu..."

"But... that means he did it, right?" Hanabi asked, piping up for the first time in a while. "I mean, he can't interrogate himself..."

"That is true, but I don't think that someone who has served Konoha this long would-" Genma began, but he was cut off by Jiraiya.

"I don't think that is an issue at this point. Look around you- at least one of these people have turned against us and killed Yamato, Sai, and Tsunade by letting Shizune out of her cage. I'm sure everyone here has diligently served Konoha in the past, but things changed yesterday," he explained.

"Even so..." Ken said. He paused for a bit as he recoiled from all of the looks he suddenly received. He knew the attitude he had shown earlier made him not so liked in this little community, and some of the gazes at him reflected that. "Even so... it fits, doesn't it? Everyone here was found innocent, and the man incapable of interrogating himself stands right before us. We can't interrogate him... isn't that suspicious?"

"I don't know, you sure sound eager to pin this on Ibiki," Kiba said with suspicion.

"Really? Do I have to spell it out to you? This man worked as an interrogator! Where was Shizune kept? The interrogation room! He would know how to access it and let her out! I don't see why you're searching for the killer when he's right there!"

"This interrogation has done nothing but split us apart again..." Shikamaru sighed.

"Then we lock Ibiki up," Genma suggested. "If that will ease everyone's concerns. Lock him up in that interrogation room, and I'll guard him and make sure he does nothing funny."

"Or so you can let him out when the time is right," Ken growled.

"Ken! Stop acting like this!" Megumi exclaimed in her quiet voice with a chastising tone.

"Then Guy will also guard him," Jiraiya sighed. "He's more than capable of taking both of them out if they, in fact, are the murderers."

"Indeed! I will not let anyone strike down youth at its finest point!" Guy exclaimed with vigor as he held a fist up into the air.

"Very well. If that will ease your concerns," Ibiki said calmly. "Don't believe me if you want, but I assure you I would never do such a thing as kill a fellow Leaf shinobi. Guard me if you'd like, but the killer is someone else in this room..."

Ibiki was escorted to the interrogation room by Genma and Guy, while the other people in the lobby once again split up into their little group and returned to their rooms. The steel door of the room was still open. Ibiki was taken into the room and Genma took the keys that were lying on a desk. The door was shut and locked, and Ibiki was able to see his guards on the outside from a small window on the door.

"Really? You didn't detect anything off?" Genma asked Ibiki.

"Not a thing. I don't know if someone's under a genjutsu that makes them a sleeper agent, or if Kurenai is right and the incriminating memories were blocked off with mental barricades. I certainly noticed nothing amiss," Ibiki answered.

"As long as we remain watchful and vigilant like this, the killer is bound to slip up soon enough," Guy said. "And when they do, they will be severely punished for taking the lives of Sai, Yamato, and the Lady Hokage!"

* * *

Tezaki peered out of the window of the second story of the empty building that he and the two civilians he rescued currently inhabited. A few of the walking corpses could be seen shambling in the general direction of the building that they rested in for the night. They somehow figured out that they were inside of the building, rudely awakening them in the early hours of the morning. It had taken several hours to plan and enact the escape, hopping across rooftops in a way to throw their pursuit off track, this process significantly slowed down due to the lack of agility that the two civilians shared. Fortunately the first building they entered was abandoned, making it a safehouse for now. Running from the dead was not a new experience- they had to do a similar action to escape from the shop kiosk after Tezaki returned from Root.

"Again, I can't thank you enough for helping us," the civilian man spoke. "I know we haven't had much time to talk since we've been running from those things, but your selfless sacrifice to help us... two people you've never met..."

"Don't worry about it..." Tezaki said as he let go of the curtain and looked away from the window, turning to the two. "I am here to save anyone I can find. I think now is as good a time as any to introduce ourselves."

The woman giggled at this comment, inspiring laughter that ensued from the two men. In all of the rush of the events of today and the prior day, they hadn't done something as simple as finding out each other's names.

"I'm Akane, and this is Yuto," the woman said as she motioned to the man next to her.

"Tezaki," said Tezaki. "I take it you two are a couple?"

"Your guess is correct," Yuto said sadly as he lowered his head, his brown bangs falling to shield his blue eyes.

"We were to be wed yesterday," Akane said lowly as she absentmindedly brushed her long black hair off of her shoulder. Her eyes were a peculiar magenta shade that was absolutely captivating, and the pain and sadness was readily apparent within them.

"I'm sorry," Tezaki said."

"At least we still have each other," Yuto said with a sad smile as he pulled Akane closer to him. The two then embraced each other, Akane resting her head on Yuto's shoulder while she lovingly stroked his back.

Tezaki looked down, hesitating to ask them a question that had been troubling him for quite some time. "Say, by any chance... have you seen my son?"

"You have a boy?" Yuto asked as the embrace was broken between the betrothed couple.

"Oh my... I can't imagine how you must feel," Akane said, placing a hand to her mouth in mild surprise.

"I haven't been able to spend much time with him, due to my duties... Hell, I doubt if the kid even sees me as a true dad. But every father has to watch out for their kid, y'know? My boy's twelve and has spiky brown hair, but what's real distinctive about him is a long blue scarf that he always wears. If you've seen anyone alive or... dead... that fits that description..." Tezaki explained.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we have," Yuto said.

"Fair enough..." Tezaki said with slight disappointment as he started pacing around. There was something else he had to tell the two, but again he was hesitating.

"Is there something troubling you besides your son, Tezaki?" Akane asked him. He stopped in his tracks.

"Yes..." he said as he slowly turned towards them." I don't want to worry you both, but I made it my duty to search the village to find others that are still alive... especially if my son is still out there. I can't do that by staying here..."

"So you're leaving us? For how long?" Yuto asked.

"I want to make sure that you two are still safe, so I'll be checking in sporadically. But you need to stay here. It's safe so long as you don't attract any attention."

"We understand," Akane said.

"Good... see you in a few hours," Tezaki said as he quietly descended the stairs and walked towards the entrance of the building. He peered outside a nearby window to make sure that none of the dead were nearby and, seeing that the coast was clear, he quietly opened the door and slipped through it.

Immediately he jumped up to the rooftops and traveled to the roof of a relatively tall building near the middle of the village. He crouched down and removed binoculars from a pocket in his flak jacket. He unfolded the device, placed it to his eyes, and tuned the focus of it. This vantage point would let him see most of the village without much hassle. He began scanning the village for any sign of his son or other survivors.

What he discovered first was the reason for a general lack of the undead across the village, for there were three tremendous clusters of zombies in the village. These clusters were roaming packs of thousands of the monsters. The source of their grouping was clear upon further observation... they were just chasing small animals. They were sickening, ravenous beasts... Tezaki had to look away as fifty piled onto a tired dog, the rest of the horde futilely trying to get to the dog to eat it. He briefly thought about how nice it would be if they also ate each other, but they wouldn't be an effective weapon if that was the case.

Tezaki had a sinking feeling that a large number of the undead in the packs were formerly running from them.

If that was the case, then if they were resorting to hunting down animals instead of humans... that did not make for a good population estimate of survivors. He heavily doubted that he would see anyone alive out on the streets of the village. Instead, he needed to look for signs of fortifications... barricaded buildings and the like, especially if zombies were pounding on the barricades.

Despite this, he found no such signs of fortification. If a building had barricaded windows, then its door had been smashed down. He looked around for several minutes, and there seemed to be only one settlement with people: the Administration Building. Yet only part of the building was barricaded... still, it was worth checking out. The rest of the village, even though he didn't want to accept the fact, seemed to have been lost to this plague. All of this death and carnage in only a day... it all seemed so unreal. But for now, he had more pressing matters to deal with.

"How long are you just going to stand there and watch me?" Tezaki asked aloud to the two cloaked men behind him. He stood up from his prone position and placed the binoculars back into a pocket on his flak jacket. He turned to face them, and was mildly surprised to see that they were from Root. One man was garbed in an inky black cloak, his mask depicting a deer, with large antlers emerging from the mask's forehead. The other man was garbed in a bright white cloak, his mask being a yin-yang with no visible eyeholes.

"What is this? I was under the impression that Danzou would leave me alone," he said to the two masked men before him.

"That may be the case," spoke the deer masked man, "but that doesn't mean that we will leave you alone."

"I'm sure Lord Danzou is just flustered by the end of our village, which is why he spared you. The Root code does not permit the continued existence of traitors," spoke the yin yang masked man.

"I can't believe I worked with Root for a decade..." Tezaki sighed. "If you want to do this, then let's go to a wider area so there's more room to fi-"

He was cut off as the deer masked man formed a seal, his shadow snaking towards Tezaki's feet as the other man charged at him. Tezaki leaped back to avoid the attack, falling down to a lower rung on the rooftop. So he was fighting a Nara and likely a Hyuga due to the fact that the Byakugan could see through a closed mask... great.

"Here is fine," the Nara man said.

Tezaki unsheathed his tanto and let his lightning chakra flow into the weapon, extending its reach in the process. "You know, I don't think I've seen you guys around Root. Maybe once or twice. What are your codenames? Maybe that will ring a bell."

"Kuroi," the Nara man stated.

"Shiroi," the Hyuga man echoed.

"Good. Just had to know who the two pricks were that were fighting me!" Tezaki exclaimed as he jumped back on the rooftop and charged towards the nearest opponent, who was Shiroi.

Instead of dodging like he expected, Shiroi held up an arm which became coated in chakra before his sword struck it, causing no damage. He thrust his free hand forward, and Tezaki was pushed back by an outward force of chakra. That confirmed that Shiroi was a Hyuga. He landed and instantly could not move... he was thrown right into Kuroi's shadow.

This was the first time he was caught in a Nara's Shadow Imitation jutsu, and it was quite a frightening experience. No matter how hard he tried to move, he could not. His brain was practically screaming at his muscles to move, but there was no response from them. Tezaki then felt his body begin to move against his will as he stood up and held his arms wide open.

"I take it you know what clans we are from by now... in that case, you're going to struggle futilely against my partner's jutsu while I systematically deal you blow after blow that will shut off your chakra system. Once you are crippled, we will throw you off of this building. You'll survive the fall, but be easy prey for any of the walking corpses. A fitting end for a traitor like you," Shiroi said as he assumed the fighting stance of the Gentle Fist.

Tezaki could do nothing as Shiroi raised his hand and extended two fingers, sharply prodding an area on his left shoulder. The pain was greatly amplified due to the nature of the Hyuga's attack. He then prodded two more nearby areas in quick succession. He then attacked Tezaki four times quickly, who was feeling his shoulder growing numb. But he could also feel the hold over his body weakening...

Shiroi struck him once more, intending to follow up with seven more strikes, but Tezaki broke out of the shadow hold with strength and willpower alone (the pain helped) and dodged Shiroi's other strikes, picking up his tanto in the process. He headed straight towards Kuroi, aiming to eliminate him before he could use his shadow to paralyze him once again. Both men formed seals, but Tezaki finished his first, electricity crackling around his palm. He suddenly turned around and slammed his hand into Shiroi, who was charging towards him. This stunned him, and he followed up by slamming the handle of his tanto onto his head, knocking him down and likely out. The only problem was that Kuroi had likely finished his jutsu by now.

Tezaki turned around to see that Kuroi's shadow had split into several branches that had become physical objects: thin spikes that were rushing towards him. Tezaki made a few quick slices with his tanto, cutting the shadows apart, and he quickly followed it up by slamming his palm on the ground and unleashing some lightning chakra, which arced forward and pushed the shadows back. Tezaki raced forward to deliver the finishing blow to the defenseless Nara, but he suddenly substituted with Shiroi, and Tezaki's eyes widened as he used the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms to deliver sixty-four incredibly fast strikes against his body. He followed up by sending out another pulse of chakra that sent him flying back towards Kuroi, who merely stepped out of the way.

Tezaki felt terror race through his body as he sailed off the roof of the building and fell to the ground. Normally he would just substitute with some object on the ground, but doing that was impossible... all of Shiroi's strikes had been on his left arm, rendering it unable to gather or use chakra. In addition to this, he couldn't right himself so that he could gather chakra to his feet to make a safe landing. He could do nothing but close his eyes and brace for impact...

The pain exploded through his body as he landed partly on his back, partly on his leg that made a sickening snap as it touched the ground. His eyes were wide open and his mouth open, silently screaming as pain surged through his entire being, making him unable to move. His gaze was directed at the sky, and he saw the two Root men looking down at him with their masks. They did not pursue him and instead body flickered away. And he knew why... the commotion had made noise, and he could hear low moans and uneven footsteps heading his way. Was this it? Was he going to be torn open while groveling like a dog? He tried to summon the will to move, using the adrenaline as a catalyst to start moving, but pain raced through his back and legs as he attempted to do so. It seemed he was more banged up than he thought...

...but he couldn't give up! The Administration Building had survivors! He knew it! And his son could be there... he couldn't live with himself if he died without making sure if his son was alive or not.

Tezaki managed to turn himself around so that he was lying on his stomach. The undead were gathering, and at least one of his legs was broken. His spine had likely suffered some damage, too, which is why he couldn't right himself up. His left arm was also unable to move... that meant he had only one option.

He stretched his right arm out and dug his fingers into the ground as best as he could, pulling himself towards his hand. He repeated this slow crawl. He knew not if he was moving faster than the walking dead behind him, but any moment that he hesitated or looked back would lead to them catching up. He had to keep moving! He had to!

* * *

"Do you think he's coming back?" Akane asked with a small yawn. "He hasn't come back yet..."

"He doesn't seem like the kind of man who would lie to us..." Yuto added with concern, "Maybe something happened to him."

"We can't just wait for him to show up then, can we? We haven't eaten in a while and there's nothing in this house..." Akane said with a frown.

"I know, I know... if something bad did happen to him, then we can't starve ourselves to death waiting for him to show up. Look around this house for paper and a writing utensil. We need to leave him a note in case he does come back," Yuto said.

"So we're really doing this, are we? Going out there..." Akane said distantly as she stood up and stretched.

"Well... we have no choice. I'm not looking forward to it, either. Trust me, being out there with those things that had us surrounded for several hours is not on my to-do list."

Akane said nothing as she began looking around the building. Yuto paced back and forth while he waited, his hand to his chin as he thought of what to do, where to go, and how to avoid being spotted by those creatures. He would occasionally peak out the windows to see if there were any of them nearby outside. There were a few... but even one of those spotting you could spell disaster.

"I found some paper and a pencil!" Akane quietly shouted from the floor below. Yuto snapped out of his planning trance and walked downstairs to see Akane already scribbling a note.

"I think the owner of this home recently died even before these monsters showed up," Akane said. "Because there's very little in this house."

"I was suspecting that... so I guess that means we have no means to defend ourselves then..." Yuto said with a dreary sigh.

"We'll just have to be extra careful then..." Akane said quietly. The couple did not show fear to each other because both of them knew that the other was intensely frightened at the thought of going outside, so there was no point in increasing the anxiety any more.

"Okay... done. You think the note will be noticeable on this desk?"

"Without a doubt... do you think it would be safer if one of us-"

"No!" Akane cried out. "I would tear myself apart in worry and fear if you went out there alone!"

"Okay, okay... we'll go together," Yuto said soothingly as he embraced his beloved. She returned the hug, holding her husband-to-be tightly. They shared a brief, passionate kiss before Yuto broke the embrace.

"Show time..." he said discouragingly. He walked over to a window near the door of the building and peeked outside. None of the undead were in immediate site. He waved his beloved over.

"Where are we going once we're out there?" she whispered to him.

"Markets are out of the question... either others took most of the food from them yesterday, or the dead found the markets and ate everything inside. Maybe there would be some canned food, but I don't want to risk going to a market when its likely many of the dead are there. So let's play it safe and just look in the surrounding houses, okay?" he whispered back.

Akane nodded, not saying anything further, as Yuto unlocked the door and slowly turned the knob. The hinges on the door creaked as they opened, coaxing Yuto to quickly swing the door open to stop the creaking. He swore on the inside, making sure the curse didn't come out of his mouth. He grabbed Akane's arm as he quickly sprinted over to the next house. They paused in front of its door, looked around, and saw no immediate threat.

"What do we do?" Akane whispered, her voice so quiet that Yuto had to read her lips. Yuto pressed a finger against his lips, signaling her to stay quiet and whisper. He placed his ear up against the door of his house and listened. Akane nervously fidgeted as she heard nearby footsteps and groans. The dead may not currently be in sight, but there were certainly some of them very close by... likely right around the corner of this house.

Yuto removed his head from the door and fidgeted with the doorknob. The door slowly slid open, the hinges remaining silent this time. The couple entered, and Yuto quietly shut the door. As soon as it was closed, he sat down and made a huge sigh of relief.

"That fucking door..." he said.

"I was scared, too, but it's okay now... we made it in safely," Akane said with an attempt to calm Yuto, but the waver in her voice showed that she, too, had been terrified by that incident.

"This house has more rooms than this," Yuto said quietly. "We're being too loud... there may be some of the dead in here."

Akane said nothing further as she nodded. Yuto led her into the kitchen of the home. He placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "I want you to look in these shelves for food. I'm going to look around to see if we're safe."

Akane opened her mouth to object, but Yuto silenced her by placing a hand over her mouth. "I promise you that I will be exceedingly careful, okay? I just don't want us to have any false sense of security."

Akane closed her mouth and sadly nodded. She shook her head and sighed with anxiety as Yuto rounded the corner and went further into the house. The first shelf she opened had several canned goods, and she couldn't help but smile at her fortune. She didn't even need to look in the rest of the shelves, for this amount would last for a few days. She grabbed them all and began placing them on the kitchen table when she heard a snarl and a yelp of fright. She immediately dropped the can she was holding and frantically looked around for a weapon, grabbing the nearest thing she could find: a frying pan. She sprinted towards the source of the cry and saw a small undead boy riding his back, trying to bite into his neck while Yuto tried to throw the boy off of him. Akane cried out as she slammed the frying pan against the back of the boy's head, making a resounding metal noise as the boy's body went limp and he fell off of Yuto. Akane immediately dropped the frying pan and hugged him.

"Are you okay?" she asked with fear. Yuto shushed her and stroked her hair once before lightly pushing her away.

"I'm fine, I'm fine... he just caught me off guard, that's all," he said calmly after a few deep breaths. "Did you find any food?"

"Enough," Akane said with a nod.

"Good, I think we shou-" Yuto began, but the ceiling above them creaked as moans were heard from upstairs. There were more of them upstairs... likely the boy's family. They had heard the commotion downstairs, which had snapped them out of their meandering torpor.

"Now I _know_ we should leave," Yuto said as he and Akane walked to the kitchen and grabbed a few cans of food, holding them by stretching out the bottoms of their shirt and placing them in the makeshift pouch. Yuto peeked outside a window to see if there was anything outside, but he had no time to do so as a loud tumble was heard. The couple looked behind them to see that an undead woman had fell down the stairs, likely the boy's mother. She growled at them as she righted herself and made her way towards them.

Yuto audibly swore as he swung open the door, grabbed Akane's arm, and ran to their safehouse next door. There were a few additional undead in the streets that saw them and a few cans tumbled out of their shirts, but that was not something they had the time to prevent. They ran into the open door of the building, which was promptly slammed and locked.

"Fuck... fuck... fuck..." Yuto said with each quick breath he took, the cans tumbling out of his shirt as he placed his hands on his knees. Akane emptied her shirt pouch onto the table with the note and picked up the cans that fell, placing them on the table, too.

"It's okay now... we made it..." Akane said as she stroked Yuto's hair and kissed him on the forehead. This tender moment was interrupted by a slam on the door, which made both of them immediately move away from it. Muffled groans were heard on the other end as the zombies on the other end started pounding on the door with their palms.

"Let's go in another room, shall we?" Yuto asked. Akane nodded, and the two of them grabbed all of the canned foods and took them to the house's kitchen, placing them on the much larger table.

"Thank goodness this house at least has a can opener and some utensils," Akane said as she opened a can of noodles, scarfing them down quickly. She caught herself pigging out in front of her betrothed, and blushed heavily as she lowered the can from her mouth and sheepishly grinned, asking, "Uh... want some?"

"I'll eat later... I have to calm my nerves first..." Yuto said with some more deep breaths. Akane couldn't blame him... a few years of her life were scared off a few minutes ago, but her stomach being filled was more important than calming nerves at the moment. She finished the can of noodles at a much slower pace, and threw the empty can away, wiping her mouth with some napkins on a counter.

"There's a back door in this house, isn't there?" Yuto asked.

"Yes... why?" Akane asked with suspicion.

"We'll need more food... I'll go get some," Yuto said with brevity as he briskly walked towards the back door. Akane was suddenly concerned, and she followed Yuto.

"Why are you acting so strange?" she asked. He had paused in front of the back door. "We have enough..."

The words died in her throat as she noticed blood seeping through his shirt on his shoulder. The little boy... he had bitten him, and he kept it from her to not cause her worry. He was going to leave the building to protect her.

"No..." Akane said distantly as she took a few steps back in shock. "This can't be..."

"I'm... so sorry..." he said quietly as his head bowed. He remained still in that standing pose as Akane's vision blurred from the tears forming in her eyes. She fell to her knees when Yuto's body spasmed and a low groan fell from his mouth as he turned to face her, his peaceful and loving expression replaced by an empty, hungry one, his blue eyes replaced by vacant white ones.

Akane could do nothing but lower her head and sob. With Yuto gone, she might as well be dead. All hope was lost, and there was nothing she could do now except embrace the end...


	17. Creeping Shadows

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 17:

_Father had been gone for a few weeks. The village was surprisingly empty in his absence... it was a surreal experience for me. I was worried about his safety, but there was nothing that I could do but wait and wander about the Sound, hoping to pick up any news of just what his crusade against the village that wronged him entailed. In my desperate search for knowledge, I discovered things I knew that he had been hiding from me._

_For instance, I found most of his science experiments. It was obvious why he never told me about them. He was a rotten, filthy liar, and awfully incompetent, too. Leaving his laboratory area relatively unguarded was a foolish mistake. Some of the tales regaled upon me from his experiments were truly heart-wrenching, but I was glad to hear them. I was glad to have that snake's fa__ç__ade shattered._

_Sure, the first few days after learning this knowledge were very difficult to go through. After all, I had lost my father. Orochimaru may still be alive, but these atrocities and deceptions have cost him the right to call me his son. I am merely another experiment of his. While at first being difficult to accept, there was nobody present to mold me back into the shape that Orochimaru desired me to be._

_I eagerly awaited his return. I had so many, many things I wanted to tell him._ _Yet it was like he was perpetually mocking me. I had all of the words I wanted to say to him, but they faded away the longer he was gone. And now, judging by the clamor of voices that were not present before, he and his army had returned when my arguments had long faded. Oh well... I'm sure whatever I would think of off the top of my head would be sufficient enough._

_I approached the crowd of people. __"Lord Orochimaru is alive! He has come back!" they cheered. Perhaps some of this crowd was always present during his absence, but I never noticed that there were this many. I pushed my way through the crowd until I reached a clearing._

_"Get away from me!" I heard Orochimaru yell painfully to one of the citizens coddling him, "My arms!"_

_I felt no sense of relief or satisfaction knowing that he was safe and nearby. I picked out his footsteps as they drew nearer... they were slow and fatigued. Did something happen to him when he was gone?_

_"Orochimaru," I said as he passed, and reached an arm out to grab his shoulder. I missed and instead grazed his arm, eliciting a painful howl from him. I was lightly pushed away by somebody._

_"Not now, Otoshi. I know he's been gone, but Lord Orochimaru has a very serious problem at the moment," I heard his assistant, Kabuto, say. "If you want, you can follow me..."_

_So follow him I did. All the while I remained silent, thinking about what to say to my creator. His pained breaths kept entering my ears, distracting my thoughts and easing my hatred. Am I really predisposed to show mercy to the merciless? No... this was not a time for weakness._

_After a while, we entered some sort of room. Kabuto grabbed my arm and led me near Orochimaru._

_"Otoshi... it is good to see you again," Orochimaru said in a strained manner._

_"I wish I could say the same," I spoke, making sure not to have my voice falter in any way. He would respond to weakness. "I learned who you really are while you were gone. I found your laboratory. I listened to your experiments."_

_"Otoshi," he said in the familiar tone he used when speaking to me._

_"No," I interrupted, "you can't pass this off as a misconception! Or perhaps these people wronged you? Maybe those orphans thought you looked creepy, so they deserved this, right?"_

_"I don't have time for this... Kabuto, we need to find Tsunade soon. She is the only one who has a chance of healing my arms," Orochimaru said dismissively._

_"Don't have time for this?" I asked indignantly._

_"That's right. It was a mistake to cradle you like a child. All it did was make you develop altruistic thoughts... there's no place for those in my village. If you will not view me as your father, then you will view me as your creator. I granted you life, Otoshi. I can take it away again."_

_I had no retorts for that. It was true... he did create me. I was forever indebted to him for that. But should I feel that way towards such a vile man?_

_"I see you realize your position. Now go... leave and reflect on this," Orochimaru commanded._

_"You're right..." I said, "...then let me make it up to you. I will get you this Tsunade person."_

_"No... I cannot trust you to this task. You have just had an existential crisis... you need time to think."_

_"You can trust me," I said. "I've had several weeks to think about your lies to me. That's all they are. I'm only angry because of that! I wouldn't dare think of betraying you or turning my back to you!"_

_"I said no. You are not ready. Even if I could trust you, you are far too important to risk losing. You have to stay here."_

_"That's ridiculous!" I shouted._

_"Leave," Kabuto stated firmly._

_I could not believe this... to be treated in such a condescending manner. I had no words for Orochimaru anymore... none would reach him. I held my tongue and walked away, the anger in me brewing._

_When I told him that I would never think of betraying him, I was sincere. But with the immense lack of respect that I was shown, maybe it was my turn to do the same..._

* * *

After Ibiki had been escorted away and the discussions amongst the group died down, they all began to return to their rooms in groups of three, as Jiraiya had suggested. Naruto saw the Hyugas walking towards the stairs to the second floor.

"Hold up!" he called out to them as he stood up and ran over. Three pairs of nearly white eyes stared back at him as he arrived. "Neji, could you tag out with me for a bit? There are some things I need to talk to Hinata about."

"Sure..." Neji said, unsure at what Naruto was getting at, but he wasn't going to stop him. Naruto walked back to the room Hinata and Hanabi had been staying in, with Hinata visibly fidgeting along the way. He felt incredibly dense that he never picked up on any of this. They entered the room, and closed the door. Hinata was the first to sit down on a bed, and Naruto joined her side, causing her to blush and fidget even more. He looked up to see Hanabi staring at them from across the room.

"Do you mind?" he asked the young girl.

"Hey, you heard the Sannin guy," she said with a dismissive shrug. "Groups of three," she added, holding up three fingers for emphasis.

"Yeah, yeah, that doesn't mean you have to be looking at us."

"Okay, let me just go to a different part of the room," Hanabi said. She looked to her left and saw a wall. She looked to her right and saw the same. "Oh, would you look at that."

"Then just get out of the way or something," Naruto comically growled, getting fed up of the little girl's attitude.

"Whatever, lovebirds..." she sighed as she walked over to another bed and lied on it, facing away from them.

"L-L-Lovebirds?" Hinata stammered, her face a bright red. _How did he never notice this before,_ she thought bitterly.

"Calm down, Hinata... don't get too panicky... take a few deep breaths, okay?" Naruto asked with a smile, knowing how prone to shock this girl was about him. She followed his instructions, and her face cooled down to its natural color.

"During my talk with Jiraiya, he started giving me some advice on relationships out of the blue. He told me that you liked me," Naruto said calmly, hoping to not get Hinata riled up by saying this. He failed.

"W-W-W-What d-d-do you mean?" she asked as her blushing seemed to extend to her entire body as she tried curling up into a defensive ball. _How did I never notice this before,_ he thought bitterly.

"Sakura likes Sasuke... there's nothing I can do about that. He convinced me to move on to someone else. Someone like you," Naruto said warmly as he placed his hand on her leg. He felt Hinata initially recoil at his touch, but she settled herself. She still seemed to be dwelling on his instructions from earlier, for she remained quiet as she took many deep breaths.

"Yesterday morning... before all of _this_ happened... I was going to confess to you," Hinata admitted bashfully, "I never thought you would be the one to approach me first."

"Well... somehow it never got through my thick head that you liked me until Jiraiya said so," Naruto said with a sheepish grin. Hanabi could be heard snickering behind them. Naruto turned around and yelled, "Hey, cram it!"

"I'm sorry!" she giggled. "Sis, you picked _the_ biggest dingus to fall in love with!"

"I know," Hinata replied with a small smile. She moved her hand towards his with caution not unlike that of a child investigating an unfamiliar person. She hesitated at first, but grabbed Naruto's hand and held it tightly.

"I can't believe this is happening..." she breathed. "All of this seems like some crazy dream, you know?"

"More like a nightmare," Naruto said distantly, recalling earlier events.

"No... it can't be a nightmare. No matter how horrible everything is that's happening... it can't be a nightmare because of this," Hinata said as she scooted closer to Naruto and rested her head on his shoulder. For such a shy and nervous wreck, she sure calmed down and got comfortable quickly.

For a while they sat there in silence, reflecting on the horrors they had witnessed. The comfort of each other's presence warmed them and made the pain less tangible, but the scars had cut deep. Naruto thought he heard Hinata sob, and his suspicions were confirmed when she buried her face into his shoulder. He wanted to ease her pain, so he moved slightly to embrace her, and she hugged back.

"Hey... it's okay," Naruto said quietly. "We're going to make it through this. I won't stop fighting until we do."

"That's what frightens me," Hinata whimpered. "That we're fighting our way out of here. Why can't we just leave? We've already lost so much these past two days..."

Even though he had never thought about making a run for it, the reasons against it were clear. "We can't. We'd be leaving an army of these monsters unattended. Someone would make use of them... likely that bitch that created them. We can't just leave the people of our village like this, either... it's not right. They need to be put out of their misery."

"You're right... but it hurts. It hurts knowing that things will never be the same. It hurts knowing that all I have left of my family is my sister and cousin. It hurts knowing that we might lose even more. And it especially hurts knowing that none of _this_ would happen otherwise..." Hinata spoke through tears.

"Nonsense," Naruto said with assurance. "You said you were going to confess yesterday, right? I know you're crazy shy, but you would have worked up the courage eventually. That, or someone would beat sense into my head first."

"I'm sorry... I just can't think clearly," Hinata sniffled as she withdrew her face from Naruto's shoulder and looked into his eyes with a loving smile. "And I'm going to have problems doing so for a while."

"What do you-" Naruto started, but his words were cut off as Hinata pressed her lips against his, sliding her tongue into his mouth. He was surprised that Hinata could be so forward, but his shock quickly melted away into the warm, buttery sensation of young love. He returned the kiss, and the two lied down on the bed, holding each other as they made out. The world seemed to fade away as they expressed their passion.

"Okay, that's enough," Hanabi said with frustration as she stood up. An unknown amount of time had passed since they first began kissing, but no doubt the smacking of their lips would soon get on the nerves of Hinata's little sister. Yet her presence felt incredibly distant, her complaints nothing more than a slight chilly breeze.

"You two sicken me," Hanabi hissed. "Fucking slobbering over each other as the world falls apart around you! Though I'll give you kudos, brat... I didn't think you had it in you to bag a bitch."

That stopped their kissing. Hinata and Naruto both stared at Hanabi with shock. Why would a seven year old say such things? But the way she said those words... Naruto realized what was going on.

"HINATA! DON'T LOOK AT HER!" Naruto pleaded as he averted his eyes from Hanabi, seeing _something_ appear out of the corner of his eye. He saw Hinata staring with a blank expression and knew that he was too late. Instead of sorrow and pain, he only felt a hot anger.

Hinata turned her head towards Naruto with an uncharacteristic sneer. "What's the matter? Don't approve of me playing with these dolls?" she asked.

Naruto stood up and backed away from both of the Hyuga girls, furiously looking around the room. The thing he saw appear was now gone. "WHERE ARE YOU?" he shouted. "HOW DID YOU EVEN GET IN HERE?"

"It's quite simple. I can become the shadows, after all," a vile voice sneered from behind Naruto. He instantly turned around and slammed his fist into the wall, the window sill next to it casting a small shadow.

"A bit slow," Hanabi yawned from behind him.

"Fucking pathetic," Hinata affirmed.

"Let them go, Otoshi!" Naruto growled.

"And just why would I do that?" Hanabi asked with a laugh.

"Stop speaking through them!" Naruto snarled, his anger ever increasing. "They aren't your puppets!"

"You're wrong. The whole world is my plaything," Hinata giggled. She unzipped her jacket, reached into it, and produced a kunai, of which she placed the tip at her neck. "See? All it would take is one more push, and this girl would die. No resistance at all."

"Damn it, stop!" Naruto roared, but there was a pleading tone to his voice. Tears were welling up in his eyes, not that Otoshi could see them. He must have been aware of how Naruto was feeling, because both of the girls cruelly laughed.

"Oh, how I wish I could see at times!" Hanabi exclaimed sadistically. "It would make moments like this all the more sweet... to see your expression instead of just hearing it."

"Leave them alone," Naruto said lowly, the fight in his voice fading. "If you just want me, then keep them out of this!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Otoshi said as he emerged from Hinata's shadow. Naruto's gut instinct was to bull rush him, but he had to hold himself back to ensure that Hinata and Hanabi wouldn't get hurt.

"Ah, you're not sharing eye contact. Smart," Otoshi said nonchalantly. Apparently he could tell if someone was looking at those screwed up eyes of his. "You see, boy, it's just so much _fun_ torturing you like this. In fact, it's the most fun I've ever had. I can't just leave your companions alone. They're key instruments in this symphony."

Hinata lowered the kunai from her neck and slowly unzipped her jacket, removing it, revealing a shirt that more accurately showed her shape. She slowly walked towards Naruto, a lustful look on her face. "Naruto... I _want_ you..." she whispered.

"Stop degrading her like this!" Naruto growled, trying not to look at her, but the male mind had temptations it sometimes could not resist. He would just charge Otoshi, but the kunai was still in her hand... it wasn't safe.

"Take me now!" Hinata moaned as she pulled down her shirt, her breasts slipping out of her bra. Naruto shut his eyes and bit down hard on his lip, drawing blood.

"ENOUGH OF THIS! I WON'T LET YOU DISGRACE HER LIKE THAT!" Naruto screamed as he darted towards Hinata, grabbing her wrist and wrenching the kunai out of her hand. He pushed her back, and she stumbled and fell.

Naruto charged forward, fully intending to plant the kunai right into Otoshi's sneering face. His rage was clouding his mind: he could clearly see Otoshi's bizarre and alien eyes, but he did not control Naruto. This was just a game to him.

When Naruto was within striking distance, he felt a pair of arms grab his and pull it down. He had not expected this at all. A sharp shriek filled the room as Naruto stabbed Hanabi in the shoulder.

Otoshi laughed as Naruto took a few steps back in shock. The rage he was feeling quickly overwhelmed him. He formed a Rasengan with one hand and charged towards Otoshi, who simply sank into the ground.

"Fine, you win. You can have these two back. I'll see what else I can play with here," Hinata said. Shortly after, she began to whimper. Naruto turned around to see her covering herself, pulling back up her bra and shirt, and crying as Hanabi wailed in pain.

"Were you aware?" Naruto asked, trying his hardest not to sound like an enraged beast. Hinata only nodded in response. "Then heal your sister! I'm going after that son of a bitch!" Naruto roared as he stormed out of the room. Nobody had investigated the commotion during this altercation... Otoshi likely already had a grip on the others.

Hinata scampered over to her little sister and shushed her, trying to calm her down. Both of them had just been immensely violated by that sick monster, and now everyone else was in danger... but Naruto was right. She couldn't just abandon Hanabi like this.

"This is going to hurt, but I'll make it better, okay?" Hinata asked weakly as she grabbed the kunai. "Ready?"

Hanabi continued to cry and tightly pursed her lips and closed her eyes and she furiously nodded. Hinata took a deep breath and closed her eyes, knowing that neither she nor Hanabi would ever truly be ready. She tightly gripped the kunai's handle and ripped it out of her shoulder. Hanabi screamed even louder as she began to roll around the floor in pain, blood pooling out of her shoulder. Hinata was too frightened herself to try and calm her down, but she had to help her sister. She forcefully pinned her down and then sat on top of her as she hovered her hand over the wound, her hands emitting a glowing green chakra. Hanabi's cries of pain soon ended as the wound was successfully closed. Hinata got off of her sister and helped her up. The two immediately embraced afterward, both of them crying for what had been experienced.

_Naruto... please be safe..._ Hinata thought as she gently stroked her sister's hair to calm her.

* * *

_Unbelievable. The nerve of that man... he has returned from seeking Tsunade, and still will not see or listen to me. I know my place now! My place is by his side! But what good is a weapon if it will not be used? This is infuriating! I don't care anymore if he doesn't wish to see me: he WILL see me._

_To show my loyalty to him, I took the Juuchi Yosamu sword that he gave to me as a gift. I kept it in excellent condition: it was one of my most prized possessions. Surely upon seeing me with that sword, he will realize his folly._

_Fortunately for me it seems that the grunts of this village have not been instructed to hold their tongues on the matter of his location. As I suspected, he was within his laboratory complex... if I had patience, I might have immediately went there and wandered about in search of him. But I did not have time to meander with words so fresh in my mind. And with a bit more questioning, I soon found him. Entering the room, I could tell that he was with others, but how many was unclear. From the little bit I heard of what he was saying before he noticed me enter the room, I deduced that he was speaking to the Sound Four... his elite guard of child soldiers._

_"Otoshi!" I heard him exclaim. The tone of his voice made it difficult to determine if he was greeting or scolding me. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I am sick," I said, "Sick of your mistreatment and neglect. I have heard of your plans from the people... why not send me to retrieve the Uchiha child? My eyes would make this incredibly easy."_

_"There is a time and place for everything, Otoshi. This mission does not involve you," he said, his voice growing colder._

_"Why not? Why am I not being sent out? You created me as a weapon, so damn it, use me! It is baffling me why you choose to keep me here when your guise as a father no longer exists!"_

_"How can I know the worth of my other soldiers if all I use is you?"_

_"What is the point of that? All you need _is _me. Nobody else is necessary!" I shouted, feeling angrier than I had ever felt before._

_"You just don't understand..." Orochimaru sighed, "I have given you so much knowledge, but it seems that you are still just a child."_

_"Enough! I've had enough! You _will _listen to me!" I screamed, tearing off the blindfold around my eyes. Now he had no choice but to use me for my purpose... but instead of hearing an agreement, I heard him laugh. My confidence faded._

_"Do you not remember? I told you those eyes will not work on me. With your violent attitude and treacherous act, I have no need for your continued presence. Tayuya, subdue him," he stated calmly._

_He is a fool if he thinks one of those children can take me on! I prepared to attack, but was suddenly frozen in place as a shrill note from a flute drilled into my head and echoed throughout my entire body. I tried moving, but could not. Unbelievable... how could this be?_

_I felt arms grasp me as I was lifted up by two men. "Lock him up until I have use for him," I heard Orochimaru say before I was forcibly escorted out of the room. I struggled for a bit until I realized the futility of my situation. How could this be happening? He made me... he called me his son..._

* * *

Madara slowly and calmly walked towards the Administration Building, relishing in the destruction of the hated village. The malodorous stench of blood and death, sickening to most, was an invigorating sensation for the former Uchiha clan leader, solidifying the fact that Konoha was no more. He would ensure the struggling survivors would die by his hand or the hands of the walking corpses.

He moved undisturbed, for his mastery of the jutsu that created the undead enabled him to at least make the zombies ignore him. The fact that he could not easily control them was a lamentful thing, as it reminded him that the village did not fall through his direct actions.

"So Jiraiya made his way here..." Madara mumbled to himself as he walked through a small mob of zombies invigorated by a spotted meal, most likely something mundane like a rat. Nonchalantly pushing the dead aside, his hands touching clothing caked with dirt or dried blood, sometimes open wounds, Madara remained focused on sensing the chakra of those inside the building.

"So there are only a few more powerful shinobi inside... but I should not go in alone. The Hyuga are still in there... I cannot risk getting overwhelmed in close quarters. Wait... what's this?"

The dead were not pursuing a rat after all, but rather a much wounded man that had both of his legs broken. He was dragging himself forward with one arm at a surprising pace, despite the fact that the fingers of the working arm were raw and bloody from overuse. Madara quickened his leisurely stroll and walked in front of the man.

Tezaki saw feet before his eyes, feet moving with a speed and posture that the dead lacked. He hopefully looked up at his assumed savior, and only paled as he stared right into Madara's Sharingan.

"What a terrible way to go," Madara said with mock sympathy as he forcefully stomped on Tezaki's hand, cracking several bones in it. He screamed with pain, and the cries would only elevate as the crowd of corpses behind him caught up and began tearing him open, feasting on his flesh. Madara did an about face and continued walking towards the Administration Building, which was now within sight.

As he walked, he formed a complex set of hand seals- the same jutsu that he used to resurrect his son and her wife so they could be used against Reiko. Despite his absence from the organization, Madara still kept tabs on Akatsuki, and was fully aware of the casualties the organization suffered in its elite ranks. Kakuzu and Sasori would greatly assist him...

Madara finished the seals and paused as two orbs of black chakra formed in his hands. They floated to the ground, stretching into rings as formless chakra auras formed within the rings before assuming a humanoid shape. Madara moved so that he would be the first thing the resurrected men saw.

As their bodies reformed and the men looked around in confusion, Madara smiled and said, "Welcome back to the world of the living."

"Madara? What is going on?" Kakuzu asked.

"I... I have a body?" Sasori asked with bemusement as he looked down at his body of flesh as he moved the unfamiliar form around.

"Of course. I cannot bring back your puppet self," Madara said. "As for your question, Kakuzu, we are in the ruins of Konoha. A jutsu of mine has been used against my will by a failed apprentice that is out to kill me. She is weak and of no consequence at the moment."

"Um... okay," Kakuzu said, still bewildered at the fact that he had returned from the dead and from the people that were consuming a man alive behind him.

"That is the jutsu. A contagious chakra that kills someone and brings them back as a walking corpse fueled by hunger. The plague spreads to other through bite. It's a work of art, is it not?"

"I suppose... but it won't last for long. They'll rot soon enough," Sasori remarked.

"...Right. Anyway, as far as I can tell, the only survivors that have a chance of living through the day are in the Administration Building behind me. Both of you were felled by Konoha-nin... I thought the two of you would appreciate the thought of vengeance," Madara said.

"They won't try and eat us, will they?" Kakuzu asked with slight concern, still watching the creatures with morbid fascination.

"No, we are safe," Madara sighed. "Though I cannot completely control them because I did not use the jutsu, I have enough sovereignty over the Yin Release to ensure they do not see us as prospective meals."

"If we are to fight, then I need puppets," Sasori said abruptly as he looked at the ground. "I can only do little without puppets or poison."

"Is there a problem? Surely you didn't use _all_ of your puppets in your final fight. Just summon them," Madara said dismissively.

"I was not aware if Akatsuki dealt with my vault of puppets or not," Sasori said, avoiding eye contact with Madara not out of fear but because of an autistic disorder.

"To my knowledge, they have not," Madara said. "We will now strike them when they least expect an attack."

"Hold up... how many are in there?" Kakuzu asked.

"Seventeen. Normally I would not require assistance for such a low number of opponents, with only a small minority posing any sort of threat, but the fact that the fighting will be indoors could be disadvantageous. There are three Hyuga within, and even just a few blows from them could prevent me from using jutsu. You two will make it easier to not get overwhelmed in these close quarters."

"Well, why don't we ensure that will not happen?" Kakuzu asked. "There is one other Akatsuki member that has... actually, to be honest, I really don't know if he is dead or not."

"Oh?"

"In my last fight, I had a partner. Our opponents split us apart... there was a genius child among their ranks that used superior tactics. My partner was an idiot, but had the peculiar quality of being unable to die. So if they stopped him, then it would be in a way that subdued him far more than necessary. I can take you to the location where I believe he was led," Kakuzu explained.

"This partner of yours has piqued my interest... very well. Let us hope that you are right and that he is still subdued within the area."

The three men body flickered out of the village, and Kakuzu led the way as they traveled out into the forested countryside of the Land of Fire. In what took less than an hour, they arrived in a particularly dense grove of trees.

"...Amazing," Madara breathed. "I sense the chakra signature of someone buried beneath the ground. He is in pieces, but still living."

"That would be Hidan," Kakuzu said matter-of-factly, smiling at the tenacity of the kid for somehow surviving being torn apart.

Madara led them further into the grove until they reached an area that was still scorched from a large blast of some sort. Madara formed a single seal and parted the ground.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU FUCKHEADS WANT?" a rather temperamental voice screamed at them. "YOU ALREADY OPENED THIS SHIT UP JUST TO TAKE A RING OFF MY HAND, AND- the fuck? Kakuzu?"

"Glad to see you're still the same," Kakuzu said as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, fuck me! You made it! Oh man, I hope you fucking killed those pricks!"

"Not exactly. You need patching up... an old friend here was kind enough to offer us revenge."

Kakuzu stretched both arms out, and several black threads emerged from his skin and descended into the pit, bringing back up the pieces of Hidan, stitching him together in the process. Once the immortal was reformed, Kakuzu picked up the scythe that was also in the pit and gave it back to Hidan.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK! FUCK _YES_! PRAISE JASHIN!" Hidan screamed with joy as he opened up the scythe's handle, pulling a retractable spear out of the scythe, which he promptly impaled himself with.

"Now's not the time for your religious garbage," Kakuzu said. Sensing Madara's confusion, he turned towards him and added, "Hell if I know how he's undying. He claims this god of his blessed him."

"Piss off, blasphemer," Hidan spat at Kakuzu.

"Someone is coming this way..." Sasori said lowly, feeling uncaring and detached from the current situation.

"Oh, I know," Madara said. "And it would be foolish if he tried anything." There was a brief pause as Sasori and Kakuzu looked around for the person that would arrive (Hidan was still in his macabre prayer). Madara turned to face the person shortly before he arrived.

"So, it's you. Somehow managed to survive all of this, I see," Madara said to the man as he walked up to the four. "Are you here to bargain with me again? Because you have nothing to threaten me with."

"No, Madara. I am not here for blackmail," Danzou said as he walked into view. "I see you are making new friends," he added as he noted the resurrected Akatsuki members.

"Just some manpower to ensure the elimination of Konoha's few goes off without any setbacks," Madara said nonchalantly.

"...So that is what you're doing. If so, then I will have no choice but to-" Danzou began.

"No choice but to what, exactly?" Madara interrupted. "I don't fear you. Even if your power betrays your feeble appearance, striking at me would be suicide, because it seems I am a very popular man at the moment."

"_Damn, he's good at sensing,_" Zetsu said with a low whistle preceding his comment as he emerged from the ground.

"It has been too long... Madara," Pain said as both he and Konan walked into the clearing. A tense atmosphere filled the area as the three groups faced off...


	18. The Homunculus

The Necromancer Revisited, Chapter 18:

_Unbelievable. Unforgivable. To be reduced to this... Locked away like a rabid beast for being the voice of reason. It seems as if he had no use for me anymore... for all I know he was creating another one like me, but without the intelligence or reasoning that I possessed._

_I have no idea how long I have been locked inside of this room. The silence and solitude is maddening. I do not require food or drink to sustain myself like humans, so all that I see is three walls and that door. The door that, no matter how hard I try, will not budge. The door that perpetually mocks me by remaining closed._

_If I had not discovered that I could enter a dormant state then there is no doubt that my intelligence would have eroded away. Even then, I am certain that the door has never opened, nor have I heard anything from outside of this cell. I couldn't help but bitterly appreciate the irony of this situation. Looks like I was finally being used as a weapon after all... a secret weapon locked away until it's absolutely necessary to use it._

_I do think that my fate is to remain in this prison forever. He had to have been recreating me and my eyes by now. It was the right course of action. There was no way that I would ever consider working for him. Anything less than cutting him to shreds is a ludicrous thought._

_The waves of isolation and neglect had been crashing against me for so long that I know not how much longer I can retain this level of rationalization. All I can do to keep me sane is imagine the scenario of me escaping and what I will do afterward. These eyes given to me... I would need to see if they actually worked. And if they did... the entertainment they would give me would more than make up for what I assume has been years locked away._

_I could not believe it when it finally happened. Noise! I heard noise outside of this hellhole for this first time since I had been placed in here. I practically leaped from my sitting position and banged on the door, trying to speak but momentarily forgetting how to due to not talking for so long._

_And then indescribable joy and relief filled me as the door actually opened. I knew not if the person behind it intended to free me or not, but I would make my escape._

_"Are you Otoshi?" he asked, stopping me in my tracks. A young man's voice. He sounded calm amongst the din of various other voices and footsteps trailing off in one direction. I do not think this man was acting on Orochimaru's command._

_I tried to respond by speaking, but could only sparsely articulate a few sounds. A few more attempts later, and I had regained my ability of speech. "Yes... who are you?" I asked, my voice hoarse from being awoken from a long slumber of silence._

_"Sasuke Uchiha," the young man curtly responded. I expected him to say more, but he did not._

_"You... you were the boy Orochimaru wanted..."_

_"I am a boy no longer. You've been locked away for three years, Otoshi," Sasuke said._

_Three years..._

_"How do you know me? Why are you here?" I asked defensively, my voice gradually becoming clearer._

_"I found data logs that described you in his room. I would have freed you, anyway. I am liberating every tortured soul from this madman's laboratory."_

_There was no way that Orochimaru would tolerate this action. That only meant one thing. "I take it he is dead then?"_

_"By my hands," Sasuke coldly replied. He began to pace about. "He was going to take my body. I knew that when I accepted his tutelage, but I also knew that I could gain great power by training under him. So when he fell ill, his assistant came to take me to him so he could steal my body. I subdued the assistant and then went to kill Orochimaru. It was the only opportunity I had to do so... if he was any healthier, there was no way that I would win."_

_"I see... this is good news. I only regret that I could not tell him off before he went," I said with a shrug. "I assume you wish to speak with me then? You sought me out and knew my name, after all."_

_"You're... oddly calm about this..." Sasuke said with scrutiny._

_"What can I say? The fresh air of freedom is probably making me giddy."_

_"Then know that Orochimaru never considered you any more than a future vessel. If I was in your position, I would want to know this information," Sasuke said._

_I sighed and shook my head. "Well, that makes sense," I replied glumly. "If you told me that before I was locked away I would be in denial. I cannot thank you enough for freeing me, but I'm afraid I have to ask you some things. If he wrote down his studies of me, then you no doubt know he gave me a sword. Where is it?"_

_"In the very room I killed him in. Although this facility is being torn apart by rampaging experiments, Orochimaru still has loyal men. If-" Sasuke began._

_"Say no more. I know where this room of his is located. I am sure I will refamiliarize myself with this complex as I move about. This is my final act of spite towards him. I will take what he treasures most. Goodbye, Sasuke. And thank you," I said as I departed._

_It was difficult moving about, but I soon stabilized myself. It was not long before I realized my location, and now I could move towards Orochimaru's sanctum. No longer did the lies that snake fed me have any effect. I was a product of inhumane actions. Innocent lives were thrown away to create me, and many more innocents were warped into his twisted experiments. Orochimaru was the rabid beast... not me._

_And soon I was being attacked by his loyal subjects still foolishly holding allegiance to a slain man. From the chaos swirling about the Sound, there was little doubt in my mind that Sasuke had only recently slain him. These men actually may not have known the fate of their master, but it did not matter. They followed a monster, so they were monsters themselves. I left behind halls of blood as I slaughtered my way to Orochimaru's sanctum using my shadow jutsu._

_Once I entered, it took a bit of feeling around to locate Juuchi Yosamu. I believe I might have stumbled over his corpse a few times, but that mattered not. Orochimaru was nothing to me. With the sword he gave to me as a gift by my side, I could almost leave this place, but I had still not taken the object he treasured more than anything._

_When I felt a hand on a shelf, I knew I had found it. I felt each of the fingers for it, and found the ring on the little finger of this left hand. I slipped it of the cold and clammy finger after brief resistance and then placed it on my own. The ring fit quite well._

_Now it was time to leave the Sound Village forever. A whole new life lay before me, and I was not entirely sure what to do in it. All I knew is I had these eyes... these powerful, powerful eyes. If they worked like Orochimaru said they would... then I could easily find a purpose in life. With supreme command over humans, I could create a world just for me..._

_While I was thinking, I made my way to one of the exits of the village. The chaos of the escaped subjects was overwhelming the village, and a few stupid ones even attacked me. With Juuchi Yosamu in my hands, they posed little threat. It took me a while before I remembered that the forehead protector bearing the Sound's insignia was still tied over my eyes... the fools probably thought I was still loyal to Orochimaru. To avoid confusion, I cut a mark across the metal plating, severing my ties to this village._

_And after moving through many twisting corridors, the fresh air of a new world greeted me. I had never been above the surface before. A breeze flowed across my body, bringing a cool sensation as the rays from the sun warmed by body. Various sounds and scents of life filled me, and I was briefly overwhelmed. After composing myself, I began to walk. I knew not where I was headed, but I would eventually find civilization._

_Or it would find me much quicker than I expected._

_Plantlife began lashing out at me in an attempt to restrain me. Plants did not do this... there must be some person nearby using jutsu to manipulate them. I could smell him._

_With a few cuts, the vines and roots wrapping around me were cut. I darted towards the man and placed my sword at his throat._

_"Who are you and what do you want with me?" I growled._

_"_Whoa, whoa, whoa... chill out!_" he exclaimed. A different voice spoke from the same body, which confused me. "You wear Orochimaru's ring... you know of Akatsuki, yes?"_

_I smiled in response as I lowered by blade and sheathed it. This certainly got a lot more interesting..._

_"Then come. I will take you to our base. Let me tell you of Akatsuki, and you can tell me your story. My name is Zetsu..." the man began as he started walking away. I eagerly followed him, still in disbelief as to how well this day was going for me..._

* * *

Naruto practically tore the door off the hinges as he exited the room. Right as he did so, he narrowly avoided getting punched in the face by Sakura. He was so overwhelmed with anger that he didn't even feel a pang of sorrow or regret as he grabbed Sakura's arm and threw her against the wall. He heard more footsteps approaching him from the right and knew that he couldn't deal with this alone. With a single hand seal, Naruto formed several shadow clones that moved to face the approaching opponents... all except one, which quietly slipped back into the room Hinata and Hanabi were in to protect them.

Naruto felt a clone vanish and looked in their direction to see Kiba and Akamaru spiraling towards him with the signature Inuzuka jutsu, Fang Passing Fang. Naruto grabbed Sakura and body flickered to the end of the hallway, quickly turning around the corner right as Kiba and Akamaru slammed into the wall. Sakura recovered from her minor stupor as Naruto began descending the stairs to the lobby. She smiled maniacally as Naruto let go of her. She threw another punch at him, and Naruto had no choice but to jump backwards off of the large stairway to fall to the lobby below. As he did so, he formed many more shadow clones that were able to form a human chain to grab onto the stairway.

The first clone pulled itself up by grabbing Sakura's ankle and throwing her down. As the clones scrambled onto the staircase, Naruto could see Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru, and Kurenai descending the stairs. Was there some way to stop Otoshi's control? There _had_ to be!

Naruto was ready to catch the falling Sakura, but she was ready to punch him instead. Naruto rolled out of the way as Sakura's fist hit the ground, creating a small crater and a powerful shockwave.

"Knock them out!" One of his clones shouted down to him from above. "We can take care of the others!"

"Those clones of yours are really annoying..." Otoshi said through Sakura as she moved in for another attack. Naruto sidestepped the attack and grabbed Sakura's arm, pulling her close for a headbutt. Sakura crumpled to the ground after the blow, unconscious but free from Otoshi's control.

"...but are you aware there are two stairways leading to this floor?" Naruto heard Lee say from behind him. Naruto turned around just in time to get kicked in the face, causing him to fly back and crash into a sofa, knocking it back in the process. He rolled out of the way, unable to try and stand up before Guy arrived, delivering a powerful axe kick that demolished the couch.

Naruto was able to stand himself up to see Jiraiya leap down from above, his hair spiking up as he used his Needle Jizo technique. Seeing no other course of action, Naruto quickly formed a Rasengan and jumped up to knock Jiraiya out of the picture. The spiraling ball of chakra easily removed most of the needles heading towards him, but a few pricked his legs.

To his surprise, Jiraiya countered with a Rasengan of his own. The two balls clashed and immediately exploded, sending both men hurtling to the ground. Naruto had not dispelled the shadow clone he made to create the Rasengan, who moved forward out of the radius of Jiraiya's Needle Jizo attack to catch Naruto.

As soon as he was back on his feet, both Lee and Guy moved towards him. Guy stopped approaching and let Lee move in to attack. Naruto created a few more clones that managed to subdue Lee and hurl him at his teacher, knocking both of them back into the wall. They did not get back up.

_Why are they only attacking one at a time?_ Naruto thought to himself, but he had no time to further ponder this as he noticed Jiraiya finishing a jutsu. A large fireball was hurtling towards Naruto and his clones... the fire could easily spread quickly. Naruto and his clones dispersed as the fireball splashed against the ground, the oil used in its construction igniting some of the furniture. Fortunately one of the shadow clones was able to find a fire extinguisher, and the combined forces of Naruto and the other clones were able to take Jiraiya down.

"Your game is over, Otoshi. Reveal yourself!" Naruto indignantly demanded. A shadow broke off of Jiraiya's shadow and moved to the middle of the room, rising up in a humanoid shape. The shadow fell off of Otoshi's body, sinking into the ground behind him to become his own.

"You're no fun," Otoshi said with a pout. "And you're not looking at my eyes... wonderful."

"You can't control everyone as perfectly as you think you can, isn't that right?" Naruto asked. "Those three only attacked one at a time... it was the same with my shadow clones upstairs."

"It's a learning experience for both of us," Otoshi said with a shrug.

"That it is. Looks like you can't control me after all of that," Naruto said, staring right into the bizarre eyes of his enemy. Otoshi's arrogant smirk quickly faded to a look of an unpleasant revelation.

"No... no... there's something else," Otoshi growled, visibly agitated at this fact. "_Nobody_ can resist my control! There _has_ to be a loophole. I bet it's the tailed beast inside of you and the mechanics of the seal holding it within your body."

"Sure, let's go with that! All I know is that you'll pay for using all of my friends as pawns!" Naruto yelled angrily as he charged at Otoshi.

Otoshi sighed, shook his head, and unsheathed a katana. "Fine. If you want me to kill you, I'll gladly oblige," Otoshi said as he slid to the right moments before Naruto swung his fist at Otoshi's face. Otoshi delivered a counter slash at Naruto's spine, pausing before it connected.

"There's one time I could have killed you. I wonder how high I'll get before I get bored and actually do the deed. I'm guessing it will be thirty-six," Otoshi said.

"Odd. That's how many clones I have gunning for you right now," Naruto said as he jumped back, letting his clones that were already in the lobby and the ones arriving back from their mission upstairs attack Otoshi.

With a deft slash, six of the clones charging towards him were removed. A quick backflip got him behind the clones approaching him from that direction, and a quick series of quick slashes coupled with dexterous footing removed those clones. Ten of them had been dispatched in moments, with the remaining twenty-six on their way to the ground from jumping or descending stairs.

Otoshi thrust his blade upward, stabbing one of the clones in the stomach. A few landed and dove for his legs, but he jumped above them and stomped hard on their arms, causing them to vanish. Several quick slashes brought down several more clones falling from the sky. Without waiting for the remaining clones that had now reached the lobby to flank him, he darted to the left and carved through those clones, leaving four left. One was left after a quick charge forward with his sword pointing forward. Otoshi's great speed had caught the clone off guard, and before it could turn around to attack Otoshi, he had sharply raised his fist, smashing the back of the clone's head and causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke.

"For all of your hatred towards me, I thought you would have proven to be a little bit more challenging..." Otoshi said. Naruto growled at this and formed several more shadow clones that charged at Otoshi. He made a single hand seal, and the shadows of the clones shot spikes at their backs, destroying all of them in an instant.

"You're outclassed. Give up," Otoshi said, sidestepping Naruto as he charged towards him with a Rasengan.

"Never! You'll pay for what you've done to my friends! Especially with what you've done to Hinata!" Naruto roared as he let loose the maximum extent of his rage that he was holding back. Red chakra began to billow from his body, forming a fox-shaped aura that enhanced the Rasengan made it swell in size. Naruto quickly turned around and thrust the orb at Otoshi once more, the red aura around him forming a single tail in the process. Otoshi made his shadow rise up and form a shield. The Rasengan clashed with the shadow shield, grinding into the shield, which withstood the attack... almost. After a few seconds, the Rasengan shattered the shield and Otoshi had a split second to leap back to avoid getting hit. The shards of the shadow shield suddenly moved, spearing Naruto and causing the focus needed to maintain the Rasengan to falter. The wounds caused by the shadow fragments were quickly healed by the Kyuubi's chakra.

"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE?" Naruto roared as he ran on all fours towards Otoshi. The red chakra around him lashed out at Otoshi, seemingly having a mind of its own. Several clawed arms grasped towards Otoshi, but he was able to narrowly avoid being hit by them. Naruto leaped at the wall that Otoshi was in front of moments ago, kicking off of it to change direction and not lose much momentum in the process. The energy lashed out at Otoshi once more, the clawed arms grazing his body. He couldn't keep on the defensive here... it was hard detecting the location of the energy through sound.

Naruto pounced at Otoshi once he got close, tackling him to the ground. The red chakra around Naruto was very hot, burning his skin as Naruto clawed at his face. Otoshi gritted his teeth as he stabbed Naruto and kicked the boy off of him. Otoshi stood back up and backed away, waiting to hear the sound of Naruto hitting the ground. It did not come... the stab wound had been healed, but there was no way for Otoshi to know that.

"How are you still standing?" Otoshi growled, sheathing his normal katana and swapping it for Juuchi Yosamu instead. If there was one thing that would ensure this boy's death, it would be the sword that Orochimaru gave him.

"Because I won't stop until you've paid for what you've done!" Naruto growled, another tail of chakra forming as more arms of chakra lashed out at Otoshi. With the new choice of weapon, though, the chakra was easily cut through. Instead of expressing shock or fear at Otoshi's newfound ease in approaching him, Naruto merely created more chakra arms. He wasn't able to cut down all of them- a few of them were able to grab him and slam him into a wall, several cracks spider-webbing across its surface as Otoshi fell to the ground on one knee. He stood back up and began moving towards Naruto.

"IT'S OVER!" Naruto and Otoshi roared as he formed another Rasengan that became empowered by the Kyuubi's chakra. He charged forward with great speed and slammed the orb of chakra into Otoshi's chest. Both men yelled as Otoshi delivered a deep gash across Naruto's chest, disrupting the Kyuubi's chakra from the severity of the wound. Before Otoshi could thrust the blade deeper into Naruto, guaranteeing his victory, he was launched back from the Rasengan, slamming once more into the wall. Another crack was heard, but this time it was not the wall, but instead Otoshi's head. He crumbled to the ground, remaining still.

The Kyuubi's chakra faded away as Naruto fell to his knees. He was losing a lot of blood... his vision was already faltering. He raised a hand and gave his fallen foe the middle finger right before he collapsed and passed out.

* * *

"...ruto! Naruto! Wake up!" he heard a woman cry out. He could feel his body being furiously shaken. His eyelids were too heavy to open.

"Stop shaking him! I thought you were trained by Tsunade! Be more professional!" he heard Ken's voice say in his usual unfriendly tone.

"Look! He's moving!" Megumi exclaimed. Naruto opened his eyes and moved to a sitting position to see everyone in the Administration Building standing in the lobby. They were all okay... but something was amiss...

"Where's Otoshi?" Naruto asked sternly, staring straight ahead. The cracked wall from his attacks was there, as was the blood he shed from the battle and the final blow... but Otoshi's body was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't strain yourself, Naruto... you were badly injured when we found you... it took the three of us to heal you," Sakura said softly.

"Hinata told us what happened," Jiraiya said. Not a single one of us besides her and her sister remember what happened, but we're positive that Otoshi was behind this. The only question was how did he get in here?"

"The shadows... Hinata said she thought she saw one move earlier... it must have been him, biding his time..." Naruto said lowly. "That's probably how he escaped, too..."

"Then we should enhance security. A shadow clone guarding every occupied room. Is that okay with you, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.

"Of course. Anything to stop that son of a bitch if he comes back," Naruto said as he shakily stood up. Sakura noticed this and helped him back to his feet.

"Don't push yourself," she said. "You're still hurt."

Hinata ran forward and embraced Naruto, causing pain to shoot across his body as his chest was touched, but it mattered not to him. Seeing her safe brought him a comfort that he could not describe.

"I was so worried, but you saved us all!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Is Ibiki still in his cell?" Jiraiya asked to the crowd.

"Yep... and there's no sign that Otoshi got to him," Genma said. "You said he was blind, right? Even if he's really good at hearing, that room is soundproofed... there's no way he would know that anybody was in there."

"That's good... if he attacks again then perhaps we can take shelter in there. But I don't think he'll be coming back anytime soon. But enough of that... I think we've had just enough talk about this attack. While we're all here... let's lighten the mood somewhat. Who wants to hear of some of my various escapades in pursuit of women?" Jiraiya asked with a light chuckle.

And the tension from the attack they suffered quickly faded away, becoming replaced with a warm feeling of community and a drive towards protecting the few survivors of the village. Even from within this defensive fortification, they still were not safe... they had to remain vigilant against any enemy that sought to ruin their lives...

* * *

"We're almost there..." Sasuke said aloud, more to himself than to his teammates, as they continued to leap from tree to tree towards Konoha.

"Good. I was getting tired of moving around..." Suigetsu sighed with relief.

"Is... is something wrong with your village's people?" Karin asked with fear and concern.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"The chakra of its populace... I can sense _something_, but it's in no way normal at all. I... I have no idea what it is," Karin said with unease.

"I'm not noticing any wildlife around, either..." Jugo said quietly.

Sasuke stopped moving, holding up a hand to alert the other to cease movement. The gates of the village were in sight. Sasuke reached into his cloak and produced a pair of binoculars. He surveyed the area only briefly until he dropped the binoculars in shock.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?" Karin asked anxiously.

"'To the Sunagakure reinforcements... we are barricaded inside the Administration Building...'" Sasuke mouthed.

"Uh... are you okay?" Suigetsu asked, waving a hand in front of the stunned Sasuke's face.

"Don't patronize me," Sasuke snapped, slapping Suigetsu's hand away. "Let's go," he suddenly added, jumping down from the tree so he could walk to the village.

"Are you crazy? We'll get seen if we just walk in the front doors!" Suigetsu exclaimed.

"It will be fine," Jugo said calmly as a bird flew off of his arm. "The animals are scared and are in hiding... this bird saw us approach and felt the need to warn us. There aren't any living people in the village."

"Aren't any... the fuck are you talking about? Are you sure that bird's not retarded?" Suigetsu barked.

"Are you three coming or not?" Sasuke called out. The rest of Hebi leaped down from the tree and caught up with Sasuke. The four walked closer to Konoha's gates, all of them except Suigetsu wearing somber expressions.

Suigetsu looked at his comrades with confusion. "Is anybody going to tell me what the hell is going on?"

"That," Sasuke said as he pointed at the village that was now able to be seen from their distance to the gates. A few of the village's populace were lumbering around, some of them holding wounds that nobody would be able to survive. Pale, graying skin, eerie white eyes, and bloody maws showed that the people of Konoha were no more.

A wind blew from the direction of the village, and the four had to pinch their noses closed as the overwhelming stench of death washed over them.

"What the fuck... what the fuck is this?" Suigetsu asked in disbelief.

"I wish I knew... I'm scared, Sasuke," Karin said as she clung to his arm.

"Not even the bird I spoke to knew..." Jugo said. "Only that the people of the village went insane and began eating each other. But the dead rose back up... It was like an unholy pestilence."

"Let's go," Sasuke said suddenly, walking forward. His arm slipped out of Karin's hands.

"Go? But... whatever those are, they aren't people anymore!" Karin cried out. "What if they get out? The gates are wide open!"

"They won't," Sasuke said when the three reluctantly followed their leader. The undead were now closer and noticed the four morsels outside. They began to moan and shambled towards them... but they all paused before they left the village.

"Something is keeping them inside the village..." Sasuke added, unsure what to make of all of this happening. Seeing this certainly did hamper the sentimentality he might have felt should he have returned to a normal Konoha.

Sasuke pointed at a man and fired a Chidori spear through his chest. The man didn't even flinch as the lightning chakra pierced straight through his rotting body. The attack only seemed to agitate him slightly. Sasuke fired another Chidori spear straight through his head, and the man crumpled to the ground and did not get up.

"The head... that is the way to kill them," Sasuke said coldly as he unsheathed his sword and began to approach.

"Wait! We're just going to walk in there? But... these people..." Karin asked.

"You sensed it, did you not? These people are no longer alive. Some sort of chakra is empowering their bodies. They are beyond saving," Sasuke said coldly.

"How the hell did you figure out how to kill them?" Suigetsu asked, elated because of witnessing Sasuke's skill and also because of the incoming bloodbath he sensed. He was already unstrapping Kubikiribocho from his back.

Sasuke turned to face his approaching companions, showing them that his Sharingan was active. "I saw no major head wounds of any kind. With their bodies in various states of injury, I could only assume that attacking the head was the trick."

"The people in the air behind us as still following..." Karin said.

"We dealt with them earlier with no problem. Let them come... we have a bigger problem to deal with," Sasuke said.

"So, just where is the Administration Building of this village?" Suigetsu inquired.

"In the very back," Sasuke said.

"Perfect..." the three said at near the same time. Karin's voice was full of worry, but Suigetsu's and Jugo's voices were full of excitement and bloodlust. Gray blotches began to spread across Jugo's face, and his left arm transformed into a large bludgeon as he suddenly shot forward with a blast of chakra.

"Wait for me!" Suigetsu called out as he charged forward and, with one swing of his sword, decapitated four of the dead. Sasuke and Karin followed, as did their two aerial pursuers, who were rapidly gaining on them...

* * *

"Hello, my friend! It has been far too long," Madara greeted Pain. "I have heard you go by Pain nowadays, do you not? How goes things?"

"I do go by that name... and is this man a friend of yours?" Pain asked, referring to Danzou. Madara let out a single laugh at that question.

"Not in the least. He is a fool that thinks he is the last bastion of this dead village. If he behaves he can stay and listen. I will deal with him afterwards," Madara replied.

"Very well... we are very close to obtaining our goal, actually. Seven of the nine tailed beasts are ours, and the last two hosts reside within the Leaf. We do have a setback, however... but all of the solutions are in the village," Pain said.

"Two of your own have defected? I have become... somewhat acquainted with them," Madara said nonchalantly.

"Three, actually. Are you going after them? I see you have brought back some of our men."

"Ah yes. Them. I need a few soldiers for the work I will do. Your defected members are interesting, I'm sure, but I believe you can handle your problems. I simply want to exterminate the low amount of survivors in the village. Your defected members may have delivered a lethal blow to the village, but nobody will completely slay it except for me."

"Out of the question," Konan said sharply.

"Konan... it's fine," Pain said to her. He looked back at Madara. "Will you promise us one thing? You have to keep the host of the Nine-Tails alive. If you can do that, then we will take care of our rogue members. The host is-"

"I believe I know who he is. The brat child of the Fourth Hokage, correct? We are acquainted, although he won't remember me," Madara said. "Is that all?"

"That would be so... you can meet us back at the main base to celebrate once we are successful. Goodbye for now," Pain said as he and Konan body flickered away and Zetsu sank back into the ground.

"The last bastion of this village... I suppose you are correct with that description," Danzou said. "But you have let it slip that you were behind the attack on this village the day that child was born, and you have told me your intentions."

"I would not say these things in your presence if I was not confident in my ability to take you out. You are outnumbered and outmatched," Madara said.

"It matters not! I will succeed! I will not let you endanger my kinsmen! Their fate lies in my hands! You will be stopped here, Madara!" Danzou declared. He cast off the black robe that concealed his right arm and began to form seals. Madara smirked and stood and watched as Sasori, Kakuzu, and Hidan moved to protect him...


End file.
